Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

शाश्वती नो यथाऽन्येषां देवानां स्वर्गवासिनाम् । यूयं हि पितरो यस्माद्देवानां भावितात्मनाम्

Transliteration

śāśvatī no yathā'nyeṣāṃ devānāṃ svargavāsinām | yūyaṃ hi pitaro yasmāddevānāṃ bhāvitātmanām

Translation

Que notre état devienne durable, comme celui des autres dieux qui demeurent au ciel; car vous êtes en vérité les Pitṛs, les Pères ancestraux, des dieux dont l’âme est accomplie.

Word by Word

• śāśvatī: eternal, perpetual
• śāśvatī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śāśvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg. adjective)

• naḥ: of us / our
• naḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) बहुवचन; एन्क्लिटिक रूप (pronoun, gen. pl.)

• yathā: as, like
• yathā: Avyaya (Modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/तुलना-वाचक (indecl. comparative ‘as/like’)

• anyeṣām: of others
• anyeṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (gen. pl.)

• devānām: of the gods
• devānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (gen. pl.)

• svargavāsinām: of the heaven-dwelling (gods)
• svargavāsinām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga-vāsin (प्रातिपदिक: svarga + vāsin)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (svarga-‘in heaven’ + vāsin ‘dweller’)

• yūyam: you (all)
• yūyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (pronoun, nom. pl.)

• hi: indeed, for
• hi: Avyaya (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/हेतु-समर्थक (particle: indeed/for)

• pitaraḥ: Fathers; Pitṛs (ancestors)
• pitaraḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (nom. pl.)

• yasmāt: because of which / since
• yasmāt: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (abl. sg.)

• devānām: of the gods
• devānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (gen. pl.)

• bhāvitātmanām: of the purified-souled (gods)
• bhāvitātmanām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāvita-ātman (प्रातिपदिक: bhāvita + ātman)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘bhāvita’ qualifying ‘ātman’: ‘whose selves are purified/ennobled’)

Speaker

Pitṛs (ancestors), addressing higher Pitṛs/ancestral authorities of the gods

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotional address to the Pitṛs: speakers request an enduring state like svarga-dwelling gods, acknowledging the Pitṛs as progenitors/guardians of the devas.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Devas
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the gods are linked to ancestral principles; honoring Pitṛs is portrayed as a cosmic law that sustains order across realms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is referenced in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse supports the theological basis for pitṛ-yajña (ancestral offerings).