Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

देवा ऊचुः । कालेया इति दैत्या ये हतशेषाः सुरैः कृताः । ते समुद्रं समाश्रित्य निघ्नंति शुभकारिणः

Transliteration

devā ūcuḥ | kāleyā iti daityā ye hataśeṣāḥ suraiḥ kṛtāḥ | te samudraṃ samāśritya nighnaṃti śubhakāriṇaḥ

Translation

Les dieux dirent : « Les Daityas appelés Kāleyas, ceux qui ont survécu après avoir été abattus par les Devas, ont pris refuge dans l’océan ; de là, ils mettent à mort ceux qui œuvrent pour le bien et la prospérité du monde. »

Word by Word

• devāḥ: the gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural), परस्मैपद

• kāleyāḥ: the Kāleyas
• kāleyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāleya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural)

• iti: thus, called
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• daityāḥ: demons (Daityas)
• daityāḥ: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural)

• ye: who
• ye: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural)

• hataśeṣāḥ: those remaining after being slain (survivors)
• hataśeṣāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hata + śeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural)

• suraiḥ: by the gods
• suraiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन (plural)

• kṛtāḥ: made (to be), left (as)
• kṛtāḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘made/left as’

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (plural)

• samudram: the ocean
• samudram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

• samāśritya: having resorted to
• samāśritya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-śri (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having taken refuge’

• nighnanti: kill, slay
• nighnanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural), परस्मैपद

• śubhakāriṇaḥ: doers of good (benefactors)
• śubhakāriṇaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śubha + kārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन (plural)

Speaker

Devas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahārṇava/Samudra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The devas speak gravely, describing the surviving Kāleya daityas hiding in the ocean and attacking beneficent beings; the mood turns urgent and protective.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Kāleyas
• Daitiyas
• Ocean (Samudra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When adharma hides behind strongholds, divine forces seek dhārmic means to restore protection for the righteous.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is set within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s tīrtha framework; this verse highlights the ocean as the demons’ refuge rather than a pilgrimage site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces the crisis that motivates a later sacred act and its tīrtha-related outcome.