Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

श्रीभगवानुवाच । अहं तं निग्रहीष्यामि संप्राप्ते समये स्वयम् । तस्मात्त्वं समयंयावत्कुरु शक्र तपो महत्

Transliteration

śrībhagavānuvāca | ahaṃ taṃ nigrahīṣyāmi saṃprāpte samaye svayam | tasmāttvaṃ samayaṃyāvatkuru śakra tapo mahat

Translation

The Blessed Lord said: “At the proper time, I myself shall subdue him. Therefore, until that time, O Śakra, perform great austerity.”

Word by Word

• śrī-bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• śrī-bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya (honorific): ‘śrīmān bhagavān’

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Laṅ-lakāra, Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; sarvanāma

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; sarvanāma

• nigrahīṣyāmi: I shall subdue
• nigrahīṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-grah (धातु)
• Form: Luṭ-lakāra (Periphrastic Future), Uttama-puruṣa (1st person), Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• saṃprāpte: when (it is) arrived
• saṃprāpte: Adhikaraṇa (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃprāpta (कृदन्त; √āp + sam + pra)
• Form: Puṃliṅga/napuṃsaka, Saptamī vibhakti, Ekavacana; bhūta-kṛdanta used in locative absolute with samaye

• samaye: at the time
• samaye: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī vibhakti, Ekavacana; (with saṃprāpte) saptamī-samānādhikaraṇa / locative absolute

• svayam: personally
• svayam: Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇa (Agent qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; ātmanepada-arthī (reflexive adverb ‘oneself’)

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (ablatival adverb) from pañcamī: ‘therefore/from that reason’

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; sarvanāma

• samayam: the time/term
• samayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• yāvat: until/as long as
• yāvat: Avadhi (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; parimāṇa/avadhi (limit marker ‘until/as long as’)

• kuru: do/perform
• kuru: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (Imperative), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• śakra: O Śakra
• śakra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana vibhakti, Ekavacana

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• mahat: great
• mahat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; agrees with tapaḥ

Speaker

Śrī Bhagavān (Viṣṇu)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śakra (Indra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu speaks with tranquil authority, promising to subdue the daitya at the proper time and instructing Indra to undertake great tapas until then.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Śakra (Indra)
• Bāṣkali (implied)
• Tapas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine intervention works with right timing; meanwhile, disciplined tapas prepares the devotee for dharma’s victory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is given in the Śvetadvīpa setting, though no single earthly tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mahat-tapas (great austerity) is prescribed for Indra until the destined time.