Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ह्रियंते बालका रात्रौ छिद्रं प्राप्य सहस्रशः । युष्मदीयाभिरेताभिर्देवताभिः समन्ततः

Transliteration

hriyaṃte bālakā rātrau chidraṃ prāpya sahasraśaḥ | yuṣmadīyābhiretābhirdevatābhiḥ samantataḥ

Translation

La nuit, dès qu’une ouverture est trouvée, les enfants sont emportés par milliers, par ces divinités qui sont tiennes et qui nous encerclent de toutes parts.

Word by Word

• hriyaṃte: are being carried off
• hriyaṃte: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √hṛ (हृ धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थे ‘are carried off’

• bālakāḥ: boys/children
• bālakāḥ: Karma (Object in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• chidram: a hole/opening
• chidram: Karma (Object/goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: chidra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• prāpya: having reached
• prāpya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√āp (आप् धातु) + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यबन्त-अव्ययकृदन्त — ‘having reached/attained’

• sahasraśaḥ: by thousands
• sahasraśaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/quantity adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकार/परिमाणवाचक) — ‘by thousands, in thousands’

• yuṣmadīyābhiḥ: belonging to you
• yuṣmadīyābhiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuṣmadīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (देवताभिः) — ‘belonging to you’

• etābhiḥ: by these
• etābhiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (देवताभिः) — ‘by these’

• devatābhiḥ: by the deities
• devatābhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• samantataḥ: on all sides
• samantataḥ: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Spatial adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samantatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘on all sides/everywhere’

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas (petitioning Ambāvṛddhā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ambāvṛddhā (protective sphere)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night scene: shadowy figures of deities/spirits encircle the city; a dark fissure/opening is visible; children being carried away in a whirlwind-like motion, while brāhmaṇas plead.

Characters & Entities

• Ambāvṛddhā (addressed)
• Devatāḥ
• Bālakāḥ
• Chidra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked negative forces exploit ‘openings’; divine guardianship is sought to restore order and safety.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The plea occurs in the Ambāvṛddhā Māhātmya associated with Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, seeking the deity’s intervention through prayer and worship; the verse itself states the problem prompting the rite.