Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

तव तातो मया दृष्टः शक्रस्य सदनं प्रति । क्षुत्पिपासापरीतांगो दीनात्मा देवमध्यगः

Transliteration

tava tāto mayā dṛṣṭaḥ śakrasya sadanaṃ prati | kṣutpipāsāparītāṃgo dīnātmā devamadhyagaḥ

Translation

«J’ai vu ton père, se dirigeant vers la demeure de Śakra ; son corps était accablé par la faim et la soif, son âme misérable, se tenant au milieu des dieux.»

Word by Word

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तातः: father
• तातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दृष्टः: was seen
• दृष्टः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (Past participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (was seen)

• शक्रस्य: of Shakra (Indra)
• शक्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सदनम्: abode
• सदनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रति: towards
• प्रति: Adhikarana (Directional)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश-अव्यय/पूर्वपद (preposition), अभिमुख्ये (towards)

• क्षुत्पिपासा: hunger and thirst
• क्षुत्पिपासा: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षुत् + पिपासा (प्रातिपदिक-द्वन्द्व)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (समाहार-द्वन्द्ववत्); ‘परीत’ इत्यस्य करण/हेतु-भाव (afflicted by hunger and thirst)

• परीताङ्गः: whose body was afflicted
• परीताङ्गः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि-इ (धातु) + क्त (परीत) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि—‘परीतं अङ्गं यस्य सः’ (whose body is afflicted)

• दीनात्मा: wretched in spirit
• दीनात्मा: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीन + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय—‘दीनः आत्मा यस्य’ (wretched-souled)

• देवमध्यगः: standing amid the gods
• देवमध्यगः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देव + मध्य + ग (धातु/प्रातिपदिक; गम् → ग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘मध्यग’ = ‘मध्ये गतः’ (gone into the midst)

Speaker

Nārada (messenger describing what he saw in Śakra’s realm; deduced from narrative sequence)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The king/son (Satyasena)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In Indra’s celestial hall, gods stand radiant, while a lone figure (the father) appears gaunt, parched, and downcast—hands extended in silent need—highlighting compassion and the moral shock of suffering amid splendor.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Śakra (Indra)
• Satyasena
• Satyasena’s father
• devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even proximity to heavenly realms does not erase suffering caused by unmet karmic conditions; dharma for ancestors remains essential.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it forms the moral setup for later dharmic acts connected to tīrtha/charity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not yet; the verse describes the ancestor’s condition, preparing for remedies like dāna and water-giving that follow.