Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

एवं तेषां समस्तानां विलासैः पार्थिवोचितैः । अतिक्रान्ता निशा सर्वा क्रीडतां द्विजसत्तमाः

Transliteration

evaṃ teṣāṃ samastānāṃ vilāsaiḥ pārthivocitaiḥ | atikrāntā niśā sarvā krīḍatāṃ dvijasattamāḥ

Translation

Ainsi, tandis qu’ils goûtaient tous aux divertissements et aux jeux dignes des rois, la nuit entière s’écoula dans leurs ébats, ô le meilleur des Brâhmanes.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus; in this manner
• एवम्: Adverbial (Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकारवाचक)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• समस्तानाम्: of all (together)
• समस्तानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; विशेषण (तेषाम्)

• विलासैः: by amusements; by sports
• विलासैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vilāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• पार्थिवोचितैः: befitting a king; royal-appropriate
• पार्थिवोचितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pārthiva (प्रातिपदिक) + ucita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-निष्पन्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषण (विलासैः); तत्पुरुष (पार्थिवस्य उचिताः)

• अतिक्रान्ता: passed; elapsed
• अतिक्रान्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati-√kram (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (निशा)

• निशा: night
• निशा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सर्वा: entire; whole
• सर्वा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (निशा)

• क्रीडताम्: (they) played / let them play
• क्रीडताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √krīḍ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद; आशीर्लिङ्गवत् प्रयोगः (let them play)

• द्विजसत्तमाः: best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजसत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (द्विजानां सत्तमाः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Purāṇic narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamāḥ (addressed audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A full night of ‘royal’ amusements: music, dance, feasting, and sport—yet the participants are uncanny beings; the narrator addresses learned brāhmaṇas, heightening didactic tone.

Characters & Entities

• dvijasattamāḥ (Brāhmaṇas)
• pārthiva (kingly/royal context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly splendor and enjoyment are transient; the narrative sets up a contrast between night-time marvel and day-time emptiness, pointing toward discernment (viveka).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework (a sacred-place glorification), though the specific tīrtha name is not stated in this single line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is narrative description preparing the tīrtha-mahātmya episode.