Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 119

Devanagari script

त्वया राज्यं प्रकर्तव्यं स्वर्गेऽद्यापि युगाष्टकम् । तस्मात्पापविशुद्ध्यर्थं शृणु शक्र समा हितः

Transliteration

tvayā rājyaṃ prakartavyaṃ svarge'dyāpi yugāṣṭakam | tasmātpāpaviśuddhyarthaṃ śṛṇu śakra samā hitaḥ

Translation

Tu dois encore accomplir la royauté au ciel durant huit yuga. Aussi, pour te purifier du péché, écoute, ô Śakra, ce qui est salutaire et animé de bonne intention.

Word by Word

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• राज्यम्: kingdom; rule
• राज्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• प्रकर्तव्यम्: must be carried out
• प्रकर्तव्यम्: Vidhi (Obligation predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-√कृ (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive) = ‘to be done/ought to be done’

• स्वर्गे: in heaven
• स्वर्गे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• अद्यापि: even now; still
• अद्यापि: Sambandha (Adverbial modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययसमूह (temporal + particle) = ‘even today/still now’

• युगाष्टकम्: a period of eight yugas
• युगाष्टकम्: Karma (Extent/measure as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक) + अष्टक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास = ‘eight yugas’ (measure of time)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; हेत्वर्थक/तस्मादर्थे = ‘therefore/from that reason’

• पापविशुद्ध्यर्थम्: for (your) purification from sin
• पापविशुद्ध्यर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + विशुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; (पापस्य विशुद्धिः) तस्य अर्थः = ‘for the purpose of purification from sin’

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• शक्र: O Śakra
• शक्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th), एकवचन

• समाः: equal; balanced
• समाः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (understood with ‘वाणी/वाचः’ etc. as ‘words’)

• हितः: beneficial; wholesome
• हितः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हित (कृदन्त, √धा ‘to place’ → हित ‘placed; beneficial’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषण (predicative)

Speaker

Divine voice (Ākāśavāṇī)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śakra (Indra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial proclamation emphasizes Indra’s continued reign for ‘eight yugas’; the sky-voice appears as a radiant aura above, while Indra’s posture shifts from agitation to attentive listening.

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Svarga (heaven)
• Yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual cleansing supports, rather than cancels, one’s ordained responsibilities; dharma is restored through purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not yet specified; the verse introduces the rationale for a forthcoming tīrtha-based remedy.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription begins as an instruction to listen for the method of pāpa-viśuddhi (sin-cleansing).