Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

आनर्त उवाच । कस्माच्छक्रस्य संस्थानं पंचरात्रं धरातले । नाधिकं जायते तेषां यथान्येषां दिवौकसाम्

Transliteration

ānarta uvāca | kasmācchakrasya saṃsthānaṃ paṃcarātraṃ dharātale | nādhikaṃ jāyate teṣāṃ yathānyeṣāṃ divaukasām

Translation

Ānarta said: “Why is Śakra’s (Indra’s) stay upon the earth limited to five nights? Why does it not last longer for him, as it does for other dwellers of heaven?”

Word by Word

• आनर्त: Ānarta
• आनर्त: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — speaker name

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — “said/spoke”

• कस्मात्: why/from what cause
• कस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन — ablative “from what?/why?”

• शक्रस्य: of Indra
• शक्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — “of Śakra (Indra)”

• संस्थानम्: sojourn
• संस्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संस्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — “stay/abode/sojourn”

• पञ्चरात्रम्: for five nights
• पञ्चरात्रम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Duration/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (प्रातिपदिक) + रात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — duration “five nights”; द्विगु-समास

• धरातले: on earth
• धरातले: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरातल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — locative “on the earth’s surface”

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध/negation particle)

• अधिकम्: more
• अधिकम्: Karma (Predicate complement/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — “more/greater”

• जायते: arises
• जायते: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — “arises/occurs”

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — “of them”

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/तुलना) — “as/like”

• अन्येषाम्: of others
• अन्येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — “of others”

• दिवौकसाम्: of the heavenly beings
• दिवौकसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव् (प्रातिपदिक) + ओकस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — “of the dwellers in heaven (gods)”; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी)

Speaker

Ānarta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viśvāmitra (implied by next verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal figure named Ānarta questions a sage in an assembly about Indra’s five-night earthly sojourn; palm-leaf manuscripts and ritual implements suggest a tīrtha-mahātmya setting.

Characters & Entities

• Ānarta
• Śakra (Indra)
• Divaukas (Devas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the highest celestial powers are bound by karmic limits; divine privilege does not override dharma’s measure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is framed within Tīrthamāhātmya (sacred-place glorification), but this line itself introduces a narrative question rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None here; it is an inquiry about the duration (pañcarātra) of Śakra’s presence on earth.