Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

वृकोपरि ततश्चक्रे शयनं यत्नमास्थितः । तेनाक्रांतस्ततः सोऽपि शक्नोति चलितुं न हि

Transliteration

vṛkopari tataścakre śayanaṃ yatnamāsthitaḥ | tenākrāṃtastataḥ so'pi śaknoti calituṃ na hi

Translation

Alors, avec grand soin, Il fit de Vṛka sa couche. Écrasé sous Son poids, Vṛka lui-même ne put plus bouger du tout.

Word by Word

• vṛka-upari: upon the wolf
• vṛka-upari: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vṛka (प्रातिपदिक) + upari (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative sense ‘upon’)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/कारणवाचक (then/from that)

• cakre: made/did
• cakre: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śayanam: sleeping/rest
• śayanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• yatnam: with effort
• yatnam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (as manner)

• āsthitaḥ: having assumed/undertaken
• āsthitaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tena: by him/thereby
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• ākrāntaḥ: pressed/stepped upon
• ākrāntaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + kram (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tataḥ: thereupon
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक (then/thereupon)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• śaknoti: is able
• śaknoti: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śak (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• calitum: to move
• calitum: Karma (Object of ability/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cal (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive), अव्ययभाव

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Sūta (narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (Vṛka-adhiṣṭhāna within it)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Lord carefully arranges a couch atop ‘Vṛka’; as He reclines, Vṛka is pressed down and becomes utterly still—devotees witness the miracle, marking the spot as sacred.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu (implied)
• Vṛka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord’s līlā establishes the sanctity of a place; divine presence can transform even an adversarial figure into a fixed sign within sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya where the Lord’s śayana is localized.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Indirectly supports the śayana observance by narrating how the Lord ‘rests’ at the site during the sacred season.