Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

ततश्च वारुणी जाता दिव्यगन्धसमन्विता । बलिना संगृहीता सा प्रत्यक्षं बलविद्विषः

Transliteration

tataśca vāruṇī jātā divyagandhasamanvitā | balinā saṃgṛhītā sā pratyakṣaṃ balavidviṣaḥ

Translation

Alors naquit Vāruṇī, imprégnée d’un parfum divin ; et elle fut prise par Bali—manifestement, sous les yeux mêmes de l’ennemi de Bali (le Seigneur).

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ततोऽर्थे (adverb: then/from there)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• vāruṇī: Vāruṇī (a goddess/liquor)
• vāruṇī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāruṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• jātā: arose/was born
• jātā: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भावे/कर्तरि—'arose/was born'

• divya-gandha-samanvitā: endowed with divine fragrance
• divya-gandha-samanvitā: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक) + gandha (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्ताधारित)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी/तत्पुरुष (divine fragrance + endowed-with)

• balinā: by Bali
• balinā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: balin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• saṃgṛhītā: was taken/held
• saṃgṛhītā: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-grah (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि—'was seized/taken'

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pratyakṣam: openly; in plain sight
• pratyakṣam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pratyakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावे क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial accusative: openly/before the eyes)

• bala-vidviṣaḥ: of the enemy of Bala (i.e., Bali)
• bala-vidviṣaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक) + vidviṣ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (बलस्य विद्विषः = enemy of Bala/Indra)

Speaker

Unknown (deduced: Purāṇic narrator in Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya, likely Sūta/Skanda-style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vāruṇī (as sacred substance/personified)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: From the foaming ocean rises Vāruṇī, radiant and fragrant; Bali seizes her openly while Viṣṇu (Bali’s foe) witnesses, heightening dramatic contrast between asura claim and divine oversight.

Characters & Entities

• Vāruṇī
• Bali
• Bali-vidviṣ (Bali’s adversary)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even amid cosmic churning and rivalry, divine manifestations arise according to destiny; discernment is implied in what one chooses to accept.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits inside a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter, but the shloka itself focuses on Samudra-manthana outcomes rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse.