Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे देवा ब्रह्मविष्णुपुरः सराः । वह्नेरन्वेषणार्थाय वभ्रमुर्धरणीतले

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare devā brahmaviṣṇupuraḥ sarāḥ | vahneranveṣaṇārthāya vabhramurdharaṇītale

Translation

Inzwischen wanderten die Götter — angeführt von Brahmā und Viṣṇu — über die Erde, um jenes Feuer aufzuspüren.

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• अन्तरे: in the interval
• अन्तरे: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ब्रह्मविष्णुपुरःसराः: with Brahmā and Viṣṇu as leaders
• ब्रह्मविष्णुपुरःसराः: Karta (Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + विष्णु + पुरःसर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समाहार-द्वन्द्व (ब्रह्मविष्णू) + तत्पुरुष (पुरःसर = ‘having as leader’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; देवाः इति विशेषण

• वह्नेः: of the fire (Agni)
• वह्नेः: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• अन्वेषणार्थाय: for the purpose of searching
• अन्वेषणार्थाय: Prayojana (Purpose/दत्तिव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्वेषण + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुष (अन्वेषणस्य अर्थः); पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (Dative/4th), एकवचन; प्रयोजन (purpose)

• वभ्रमुः: wandered about
• वभ्रमुः: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• धरणीतले: on the earth’s surface
• धरणीतले: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरणी + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धरण्याः तलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā and Viṣṇu at the head of a procession of devas, moving across varied terrains—forests, rivers, settlements—scanning for signs of the runaway fire; the earth depicted as a continuous sacred map.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Vahni (Agni)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the gods act to restore balance; divine governance in the Purāṇas is portrayed as active protection of the world.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter but does not itself identify a particular tīrtha by name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse.