Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

किंस्विन्मया परित्यक्तः कोऽप्यत्र शरणागतः । भयत्रस्तः सुभीतेन प्राणानां त्रिदशाधिप

Transliteration

kiṃsvinmayā parityaktaḥ ko'pyatra śaraṇāgataḥ | bhayatrastaḥ subhītena prāṇānāṃ tridaśādhipa

Translation

Ai-je jamais, ici, abandonné quelqu’un venu chercher refuge — saisi d’effroi, s’agrippant à la vie — ô Seigneur des dieux ?

Word by Word

• किम्: what
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; interrogative pronoun

• स्वित्: perhaps/indeed (question particle)
• स्वित्: Prashna (Particle/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वित् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक/संशयार्थक अव्यय (interrogative particle: 'indeed?/perhaps?')

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• परित्यक्तः: abandoned
• परित्यक्तः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + त्यज् (धातु) → परित्यक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; past passive participle

• कः: who
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; interrogative pronoun

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-भावार्थक अव्यय (also/even)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb: 'here')

• शरणागतः: one who has come for refuge
• शरणागतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरण + आगत (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (शरणम् आगतः); क्त-कृदन्त (आगत)

• भयत्रस्तः: terrified by fear
• भयत्रस्तः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भय + त्रस्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (भयेन त्रस्तः); क्त-कृदन्त (त्रस्त)

• सुभीतेन: by one greatly frightened
• सुभीतेन: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण/हेतु)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + भीत (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (सुभीतः = अतिभीतः); क्त-कृदन्त

• प्राणानाम्: of (his) lives / vital breaths
• प्राणानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• त्रिदशाधिप: O lord of the gods
• त्रिदशाधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदश + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (त्रिदशानाम् अधिपः)

Speaker

A righteous king (addressing Indra/Tridaśādhipa in supplication within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Tridaśādhipa (Lord of the Gods)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A terrified refugee clings to life, approaching the ruler/guardian; the speaker declares he never abandoned such a supplicant, addressing the Lord of the Gods as witness.

Characters & Entities

• Śaraṇāgata (refuge-seeker)
• Tridaśādhipa (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Protecting those who seek refuge is a central dharma; abandoning the fearful is treated as a serious moral failure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to a tīrtha-mahātmya chapter, highlighting that compassion and protection sustain the holiness of a region; no site-name appears here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the teaching is śaraṇāgata-rakṣaṇa—granting refuge and safety.