Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

विश्वामित्र उवाच । एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु व्याप्तः स्वर्गोऽखिलो नृप । मानुषैरपि पापाढ्यैः सर्वधर्मविवर्जितैः

Transliteration

viśvāmitra uvāca | etasminneva kāle tu vyāptaḥ svargo'khilo nṛpa | mānuṣairapi pāpāḍhyaiḥ sarvadharmavivarjitaiḥ

Translation

Viśvāmitra dit : «En cet instant même, ô roi, le ciel tout entier s’est trouvé envahi, jusque par des hommes chargés de péchés, dépourvus de toute forme de dharma.»

Word by Word

• viśvāmitraḥ: Viśvāmitra
• viśvāmitraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśvāmitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• etasmin: at this
• etasmin: Adhikarana (Time/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण (emphasis particle)

• kāle: time
• kāle: Adhikarana (Time/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• vyāptaḥ: filled/pervaded
• vyāptaḥ: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyāpta (कृदन्त; vi+√āp)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (pervaded/filled)

• svargaḥ: heaven
• svargaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• akhilaḥ: entire
• akhilaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• mānuṣaiḥ: by humans
• mānuṣaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānuṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• pāpa-āḍhyaiḥ: abounding in sin
• pāpa-āḍhyaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + āḍhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण (rich in sin)

• sarva-dharma-vivarjitaiḥ: devoid of all righteousness
• sarva-dharma-vivarjitaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + vivarjita (कृदन्त; vi+√vṛj)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण (devoid of all dharma)

Speaker

Viśvāmitra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viśvāmitra addresses a king, gesturing upward where svarga appears crowded with newly arrived humans; some look penitent, others bewildered, highlighting the paradox of sinners in heaven.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Svarga
• Nṛpa (King)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It warns of dharma’s decline and highlights the paradox of spiritual outcomes when true practice is abandoned.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the surrounding tīrtha discourse in Adhyāya 208; it functions as a moral frame rather than naming a new site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None here; it sets up a critique that is elaborated in the following verse(s).