Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

यावद्द्वादशवर्षाणि न जलं त्रिदशाधिपः । मुमोच धरणीपृष्ठे सर्वे लोकाः क्षुधार्दिताः

Transliteration

yāvaddvādaśavarṣāṇi na jalaṃ tridaśādhipaḥ | mumoca dharaṇīpṛṣṭhe sarve lokāḥ kṣudhārditāḥ

Translation

Pendant douze ans, le seigneur des dieux ne laissa pas tomber l’eau sur la surface de la terre ; tous les êtres furent tourmentés par la faim.

Word by Word

• yāvat: for as long as, up to
• yāvat: Avyaya (Temporal/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालपरिमाणवाचक (until/for as long as)

• dvādaśavarṣāṇi: twelve years
• dvādaśavarṣāṇi: Kāla (Duration/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśa-varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (काल-अत्यन्तसंयोग), बहुवचन; accusative plural neuter; समास: द्विगु (द्वादश वर्षाणि)

• na: not
• na: Avyaya (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• jalam: water
• jalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; accusative singular neuter

• tridaśādhipaḥ: lord of the gods (Indra)
• tridaśādhipaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tridaśa-adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन; nominative singular masculine; समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (त्रिदशानाम् अधिपः)

• mumoca: released, let loose
• mumoca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; parasmaipada; 3rd sg perfect

• dharaṇīpṛṣṭhe: on the surface of the earth
• dharaṇīpṛṣṭhe: Adhikarana (Location/आधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharaṇī-pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; locative singular neuter; समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धरण्याः पृष्ठे)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; nominative plural masculine; विशेषण (लोकाः)

• lokāḥ: people, worlds (beings)
• lokāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन; nominative plural masculine

• kṣudhārditāḥ: afflicted by hunger
• kṣudhārditāḥ: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣudh-ardita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; nominative plural masculine; विशेषण (लोकाः); समास: तत्पुरुष (क्षुधया अर्दिताः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage-like scene: twelve cycles of seasons pass with no monsoon; cracked riverbeds, empty wells, gaunt people; Indra’s cloud-elephant absent from the sky, emphasizing withheld rain.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Tridaśādhipa)
• earth (dharaṇī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse frames famine as a cosmic imbalance, encouraging dharmic remedies—worship, restraint, and giving—rather than despair.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it functions as narrative background within a tīrtha-glorification chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription here; the situation motivates later rites and devotion.