Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

एतच्छक्रपरित्यक्तं त्रैलोक्यमपि चाखिलम् । पीड्यते दानवैर्विप्र नष्टयज्ञोत्सवक्रियम्

Transliteration

etacchakraparityaktaṃ trailokyamapi cākhilam | pīḍyate dānavairvipra naṣṭayajñotsavakriyam

Translation

Ô brāhmane, ce triple monde tout entier—délaissé par Śakra (Indra)—est opprimé par les Dānavas, et les rites du sacrifice et des fêtes ont été anéantis.

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• śakra-parityaktam: abandoned by Śakra (Indra)
• śakra-parityaktam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śakra (प्रातिपदिक) + parityakta (tyaj धातु + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (śakreṇa parityaktam)

• trailokyam: the three worlds
• trailokyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri-loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रयः लोकाः)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle relation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक अव्यय (particle: also/even)

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

• akhilam: entire, whole
• akhilam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• pīḍyate: is afflicted, is oppressed
• pīḍyate: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pīḍ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

• dānavaiḥ: by the Dānavas (demons)
• dānavaiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• vipra: O brāhmaṇa
• vipra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• naṣṭa-yajña-utsava-kriyam: whose sacrificial-festival rites are ruined
• naṣṭa-yajña-utsava-kriyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: naṣṭa (naś धातु + क्त) + yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + utsava (प्रातिपदिक) + kriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (yajñotsavakriyā yasyā naṣṭā/naṣṭāḥ)

Speaker

Bṛhaspati (addressing Gautama, by context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bṛhaspati warns Gautama: with Indra absent, the three worlds are harried by Dānavas; sacrificial festivals lie in ruin—an urgent plea for intervention.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhaspati
• Gautama (vipra)
• Śakra (Indra)
• Dānava
• Trailokya
• Yajña
• Utsava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharmic order collapses, sacred rites (yajña, utsava) decline; restoring leadership and righteousness restores the world’s spiritual rhythm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse centers on Gautama’s presence as a sanctifying authority; explicit tīrtha identification is not stated in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Yajña and utsava-kriyā are referenced as disrupted; the implied prescription is their restoration through dharmic reconciliation.