Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तेऽपि दानवशार्दूला हताशाश्च सुरोत्तमैः । मंत्रं प्रचक्रिरे सर्वे नाशाय त्रिदिवौकसाम्

Transliteration

te'pi dānavaśārdūlā hatāśāśca surottamaiḥ | maṃtraṃ pracakrire sarve nāśāya tridivaukasām

Translation

Ces Dānavas, pareils à des tigres — leurs espoirs brisés par les dieux les plus éminents — élaborèrent tous ensemble un mantra, résolus à anéantir les habitants des trois cieux.

Word by Word

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Nipata (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षार्थक अव्यय (also/even)

• दानवशार्दूलाः: tiger-like Dānavas (mighty demons)
• दानवशार्दूलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव + शार्दूल (प्रातिपदिक); दानव-शार्दूल (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• हताशाः: hopeless / with hopes destroyed
• हताशाः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हत + आशा (प्रातिपदिक); हत-आशा (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); ‘हताः आशाः येषां ते’ (lost hope)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• सुरोत्तमैः: by the best of the gods
• सुरोत्तमैः: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक); सुरोत्तम (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• मन्त्रम्: a plan/counsel (mantra)
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रचक्रिरे: devised / set in motion
• प्रचक्रिरे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-चर्/कृ (धातु; ‘चक्रि’ परस्मैपद-लिट् रूप)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• नाशाय: for the destruction
• नाशाय: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्रिदिवौकसाम्: of the dwellers of heaven (the gods)
• त्रिदिवौकसाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदिव + ओकस् (प्रातिपदिक); त्रिदिव-ओकस् (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) — inferred from Purāṇic narration style within Māhātmya sections

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a shadowed council, tiger-like dānavas with fierce eyes gather around a ritual diagram, whispering and gesturing as they forge a destructive mantra aimed at the devas of svarga.

Characters & Entities

• Dānava
• Sura
• Tridiva (three heavens)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When pride and defeat turn into despair, adharma seeks destructive means; the Purāṇic warning is against weaponizing mantra and intention against the divine order (dharma).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is a narrative bridge within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single śloka and would be identified from the surrounding verses of Adhyāya 35.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None here—this śloka describes the Dānavas devising a mantra for destruction, not a dhārmic rite like snāna, dāna, japa, or vrata.