Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

शरीरे सकला देवा योगिनो निवसंति हि । कर्णे तु दक्षिणे नद्यो निवसंति तथाऽपराः

Transliteration

śarīre sakalā devā yogino nivasaṃti hi | karṇe tu dakṣiṇe nadyo nivasaṃti tathā'parāḥ

Translation

En vérité, tous les dieux et les yogins demeurent dans le corps. Dans l’oreille droite, de même, on dit que résident les fleuves et d’autres courants sacrés.

Word by Word

• शरीरे: in the body
• शरीरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• सकलाः: all
• सकलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन—“all/entire” (देवाः इति विशेषण)

• देवाः: gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• योगिनः: yogins
• योगिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; देवाः इत्यस्य विशेषण/अप्पोज़िशन—“yogins”

• निवसन्ति: dwell
• निवसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-वास् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदी

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थक

• कर्णे: in the ear
• कर्णे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तु: but/and
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• दक्षिणे: right
• दक्षिणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन—“in the right (ear)” (कर्णे इति विशेषण)

• नद्यः: rivers
• नद्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• निवसन्ति: dwell
• निवसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-वास् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदी

• तथा: thus/likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb)

• अपराः: other
• अपराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन—“others” (नद्यः इति विशेषण)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Deha-tīrtha (Śarīra as tīrtha); Karṇa-nadī-ādhāra (right ear as river-seat)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin seated in meditation; within a translucent body-map, devas and ṛṣis dwell in organs; from the right ear flow stylized river-streams labeled as sacred currents.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Yogins
• Rivers (Nadyaḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is not only external: the body itself is a sacred landscape where divine forces and tīrthas abide.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse glorifies the ‘antar-tīrtha’ model—rivers and sacred presences located within bodily centers (here, the right ear).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it supports contemplative reverence for the body as a tīrtha-field in yogic practice.