Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन कलिकाले विशेषतः । द्रष्टव्यो वै सुपर्णाख्यो देवः श्रद्धासमन्वितैः

Transliteration

tasmātsarvaprayatnena kalikāle viśeṣataḥ | draṣṭavyo vai suparṇākhyo devaḥ śraddhāsamanvitaiḥ

Translation

Darum soll man mit allem Eifer—besonders im Kali-Zeitalter—von Glauben erfüllt die Gottheit namens Suparṇa aufsuchen und schauen.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (ablative: “therefore/from that”)

• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सर्वः प्रयत्नः’ इति कर्मधारय (instrumental: “with all effort”)

• कलिकाले: in the Kali age
• कलिकाले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि-काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘कलौ कालः’ इति तत्पुरुष (locative: “in the Kali age”)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/विशेषणार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: “especially”)

• द्रष्टव्यः: should be seen
• द्रष्टव्यः: Vidhi (Injunctive predicate/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय (to be seen/should be seen)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• सुपर्णाख्यः: named Suparṇa
• सुपर्णाख्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुपर्ण-आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सुपर्ण इति आख्यः’ इति उपपद-तत्पुरुष (named “Suparṇa”)

• देवः: the deity
• देवः: Karma (Object of ‘to be seen’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• श्रद्धासमन्वितैः: by the faithful
• श्रद्धासमन्वितैः: Kartr (Agent/means in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रद्धा-समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘श्रद्धया समन्विताः’ इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-समास (instrumental: “by those endowed with faith”)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice; contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition in Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Suparṇākhya-kṣetra (deity: Suparṇākhya Deva)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śraddhāvantaḥ / dvijas and faithful pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-like narrator urges faithful people to visit Suparṇākhya-deva with full effort, highlighting the urgency of Kali-yuga.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga
• Suparṇa (deva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali-yuga, concentrated faith and pilgrimage/darśana are presented as accessible, powerful means to spiritual uplift.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sacred place associated with the deity called Suparṇa in Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya; the exact toponym is not stated in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (pilgrimage/visiting to behold the deity) with śraddhā, emphasized for Kali-yuga.