Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

तत्र देवासुरे युद्धे मृता भूरिदिवौकसः । दानवाश्च महाराज परस्परजिगीषवः

Transliteration

tatra devāsure yuddhe mṛtā bhūridivaukasaḥ | dānavāśca mahārāja parasparajigīṣavaḥ

Translation

Dans cette guerre entre les Deva et les Asura, nombre d’habitants du ciel furent tués ; et les Dānava aussi, ô grand roi, tombèrent, chacun cherchant à vaincre l’autre.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• देवासुरे: in the deva-and-asura (between gods and demons)
• देवासुरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deva + asura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः द्वन्द्व (देव + असुर), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (युद्धे)

• युद्धे: in the battle
• युद्धे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मृताः: dead
• मृताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (दिवौकसः इत्यस्य विशेषण)

• भूरि: many
• भूरि: Visheshana (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūri (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (indeclinable ‘much/many’)

• दिवौकसः: dwellers of heaven (gods)
• दिवौकसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: div + okas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः तत्पुरुष (दिवः + ओकसः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• दानवाः: Dānavas (demons)
• दानवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः कर्मधारय (महान् + राजा), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• परस्पर: mutual/each other
• परस्पर: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paraspara (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; ‘one another’ अर्थे, विशेषण (जिगीषवः)

• जिगीषवः: desiring to conquer
• जिगीषवः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जि (धातु) + इषु (उणादि/कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इच्छार्थक-प्रातिपदिक (desiderative sense ‘wishing to conquer’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (दानवाः इत्यस्य विशेषण)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Tīrthamāhātmya; speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dhārātīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (mahārāja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sweeping battlefield tableau: devas and dānavas fall in great numbers, each side intent on conquest; the narrator emphasizes the scale of death.

Characters & Entities

• Deva
• Asura
• Dānava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even celestial conflict is bound by karma and consequence; the Māhātmya context prepares the listener to understand how place (tīrtha) and manner of death shape one’s gati.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dhārātīrtha is the implied sacred locus in this Adhyāya’s discussion, though the verse itself sets the battlefield context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces the narrative background for later tīrtha-phala teaching.