Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

विश्वामित्र उवाच । इंद्रोऽपि विष्णुवाक्येन हिमवंतं समागतः । ऐरावतं समारुह्य नागेद्रं पर्वतोपमम्

Transliteration

viśvāmitra uvāca | iṃdro'pi viṣṇuvākyena himavaṃtaṃ samāgataḥ | airāvataṃ samāruhya nāgedraṃ parvatopamam

Translation

Viśvāmitra dit : Poussé par les paroles de Viṣṇu, Indra aussi vint à l’Himavān ; monté sur Airāvata, il s’approcha du seigneur des montagnes, haut comme un sommet lui-même.

Word by Word

• viśvāmitraḥ: Viśvāmitra
• viśvāmitraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśvāmitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; वक्ता

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• indraḥ: Indra
• indraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (also/even)

• viṣṇuvākyena: by Viṣṇu's words
• viṣṇuvākyena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu-vākya (प्रातिपदिक; विष्णु + वाक्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; करण

• himavantam: to Himavat (Himalaya)
• himavantam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: himavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; गन्तव्य-देशः

• samāgataḥ: arrived
• samāgataḥ: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘having come’

• airāvatam: Airāvata (elephant)
• airāvatam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: airāvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• samāruhya: having mounted
• samāruhya: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ā-ruh (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया

• nāgedram: Nāgendra (the king of mountains)
• nāgedram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga-indra (प्रातिपदिक; नाग + इन्द्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; गन्तव्य-देशः

• parvatopamam: mountain-like
• parvatopamam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parvata-upama (प्रातिपदिक; पर्वत + उपम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपमानवाचक-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Himavān (Himalaya) as tapas-kṣetra setting

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied audience within the frame (continuing the Śakra–Viṣṇu-linked narrative stream)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, crowned and radiant, rides the white elephant Airāvata through cloud-banks toward the towering Himalaya; distant peaks resemble a ‘mountain like a mountain’—a visual hyperbole of grandeur.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Indra
• Viṣṇu
• Himavān (Himālaya)
• Airāvata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the king of gods moves under dharmic counsel; divine power is guided by higher instruction and sacred purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Himavān/Himālaya sacred region, presented as a tīrtha-landscape of revered āśramas within the Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse sets the pilgrimage context (arrival to a sacred region) rather than a specific rite.