Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

निराश्रयाऽभवत्साध्वी वर्षाकाल उपस्थिते । ध्यायमाना दिवानक्तं देवदेवं जनार्दनम्

Transliteration

nirāśrayā'bhavatsādhvī varṣākāla upasthite | dhyāyamānā divānaktaṃ devadevaṃ janārdanam

Translation

Quand vint la saison des pluies, la femme vertueuse demeura sans abri. Jour et nuit, elle méditait sur Janārdana, le Dieu des dieux.

Word by Word

• निराश्रया: without shelter/support
• निराश्रया: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival to ‘साध्वी’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir- (उपसर्ग) + āśraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-तत्समाससदृश-उपपद (निर्गत-आश्रया)

• अभवत्: became/was
• अभवत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• साध्वी: the virtuous woman
• साध्वी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sādhvī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• वर्षाकालः: the rainy season
• वर्षाकालः: Karta (Subject of ‘उपस्थिते’ in locative absolute)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣā (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (वर्षायाः कालः)

• उपस्थिते: when (it) had arrived
• उपस्थिते: Saptamī-sambandha (Locative absolute/सप्तमीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त (भूतकर्मणि/परिणाम), सप्तमी एकवचन; ‘उपस्थिते’ = ‘when (it) had arrived’; लोकेटिव्-अब्सोल्यूट (सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)

• ध्यायमाना: meditating
• ध्यायमाना: Karta (Agent participle qualifying ‘साध्वी’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhyai (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त (लट्-समकाल), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदी-भावः (ध्यायमाना = ‘meditating’)

• दिवानक्तम्: day and night
• दिवानक्तम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: divā (अव्यय) + nakta (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव/द्वन्द्ववत् नित्यसमासः; क्रियाविशेषणम्; ‘दिवा च नक्तं च’ = ‘day and night’

• देवदेवम्: the God of gods
• देवदेवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (देवानां देवः)

• जनार्दनम्: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• जनार्दनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janārdana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; विष्णोर्नाम

Speaker

Sūta (narrative continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Monsoon scene: dark clouds, heavy rain, the woman seated on bare ground without shelter, eyes closed in meditation; a subtle vision of Janārdana (Vishnu) in the sky/heart-lotus.

Characters & Entities

• Janārdana
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity is completed by devotion: endurance of hardship is joined with constant meditation on the Supreme.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse highlights the ascetic’s practice rather than naming a location, within a broader tīrtha-glorifying chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Continuous dhyāna (meditation) on Janārdana day and night, alongside the vow of remaining unsheltered in the rainy season.