Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

विश्वामित्र उवाच । श्रूयतामभिधास्यामि कथा मेनां धराधिप । पंचरात्रात्परं शक्रो यथा न स्याद्धरातले

Transliteration

viśvāmitra uvāca | śrūyatāmabhidhāsyāmi kathā menāṃ dharādhipa | paṃcarātrātparaṃ śakro yathā na syāddharātale

Translation

Viśvāmitra said: “Listen, O lord of the earth—I shall recount this tale to you, so it may be understood why Śakra does not remain on the earth beyond five nights.”

Word by Word

• विश्वामित्रः: Viśvāmitra
• विश्वामित्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वामित्र (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”

• श्रूयताम्: let (it) be heard
• श्रूयताम्: Kriyā (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग — “let it be heard”

• अभिधास्यामि: I will narrate
• अभिधास्यामि: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-धा (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन, परस्मैपद — “I shall narrate”

• कथाम्: story
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — “story”

• एनाम्: this
• एनाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Appositive/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — demonstrative “this (her/this one)” referring to कथाम्

• धराधिप: O lord of the earth
• धराधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरा (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन — vocative; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी) “lord of the earth”

• पञ्चरात्रात्: after five nights
• पञ्चरात्रात्: Apādāna (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (प्रातिपदिक) + रात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन — ablative “after five nights”; द्विगु-समास

• परम्: after
• परम्: Sambandha (Postposition-like/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (उपसर्गार्थ/कालवाचक) — “after/beyond” (used with ablative)

• शक्रः: Indra
• शक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — “Indra”

• यथा: so that
• यथा: Sambandha (Purpose/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्देश्य/प्रयोजन) — “so that”

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

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — “would be/might be”

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

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dharādhipa (Ānarta/king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viśvāmitra, composed and radiant, addresses the king, inviting him to listen; the atmosphere shifts from questioning to instruction.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Śakra (Indra)
• Ānarta (implied listener)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narratives teach causality: actions produce constraints, and even gods face consequences that shape their freedom.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this line; it introduces the explanatory kathā within Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse functions as a narrative transition into the teaching.