Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन कलिकाले विशेषतः । द्रष्टव्यो वै सुपर्णाख्यो देवः श्रद्धासमन्वितैः

Transliteration

tasmātsarvaprayatnena kalikāle viśeṣataḥ | draṣṭavyo vai suparṇākhyo devaḥ śraddhāsamanvitaiḥ

Translation

C’est pourquoi, avec tous les efforts—surtout en l’âge de Kali—ceux qui sont pourvus de foi doivent aller visiter et contempler la divinité nommée Suparṇa.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (ablative: “therefore/from that”)

• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सर्वः प्रयत्नः’ इति कर्मधारय (instrumental: “with all effort”)

• कलिकाले: in the Kali age
• कलिकाले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि-काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘कलौ कालः’ इति तत्पुरुष (locative: “in the Kali age”)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/विशेषणार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: “especially”)

• द्रष्टव्यः: should be seen
• द्रष्टव्यः: Vidhi (Injunctive predicate/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय (to be seen/should be seen)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• सुपर्णाख्यः: named Suparṇa
• सुपर्णाख्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुपर्ण-आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सुपर्ण इति आख्यः’ इति उपपद-तत्पुरुष (named “Suparṇa”)

• देवः: the deity
• देवः: Karma (Object of ‘to be seen’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• श्रद्धासमन्वितैः: by the faithful
• श्रद्धासमन्वितैः: Kartr (Agent/means in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रद्धा-समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘श्रद्धया समन्विताः’ इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-समास (instrumental: “by those endowed with faith”)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice; contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition in Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Suparṇākhya-kṣetra (deity: Suparṇākhya Deva)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śraddhāvantaḥ / dvijas and faithful pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-like narrator urges faithful people to visit Suparṇākhya-deva with full effort, highlighting the urgency of Kali-yuga.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga
• Suparṇa (deva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali-yuga, concentrated faith and pilgrimage/darśana are presented as accessible, powerful means to spiritual uplift.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sacred place associated with the deity called Suparṇa in Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya; the exact toponym is not stated in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (pilgrimage/visiting to behold the deity) with śraddhā, emphasized for Kali-yuga.