Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

अनया पातितौ पक्षौ तपःशक्तिप्रभावतः । नान्यस्य विद्यते शक्तिरीदृशी भुवनत्रये

Transliteration

anayā pātitau pakṣau tapaḥśaktiprabhāvataḥ | nānyasya vidyate śaktirīdṛśī bhuvanatraye

Translation

„Durch sie — kraft der aus Tapas geborenen Macht — sind diese Flügel herabgestürzt worden. In den drei Welten besitzt kein anderer eine solche Kraft.“

Word by Word

• अनया: by her
• अनया: Karana/Agent (Instrument/agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• पातितौ: were made to fall
• पातितौ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु) + पातित (णिच् causative + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन (Dual); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), ‘caused to fall’

• पक्षौ: (the two) wings
• पक्षौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन (Dual)

• तपःशक्तिप्रभावतः: due to the power of austerity
• तपःशक्तिप्रभावतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas + śakti + prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular); हेत्वर्थ (cause)

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• अन्यस्य: of another (anyone else)
• अन्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• विद्यते: exists
• विद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद; ‘to exist/be found’

• शक्तिः: power
• शक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ईदृशी: such (of this kind)
• ईदृशी: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īdṛśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying ‘शक्तिः’)

• भुवनत्रये: in the three worlds
• भुवनत्रये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhuvana + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Puṇḍarīkākṣa (Viṣṇu) (inferred)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śāṇḍilī is revealed as the agent: serene, unmoved, yet her tapas radiates as an invisible force that has felled Garuḍa’s wings; the cosmos acknowledges her unmatched power.

Characters & Entities

• Puṇḍarīkākṣa (Viṣṇu)
• Śāṇḍilī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas is portrayed as a real spiritual potency that safeguards dharma and humbles pride when it violates righteousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is embedded in Tīrthamāhātmya, but it highlights the saint’s tapas rather than naming the tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; tapas (austerity) is referenced as the source of spiritual power.