Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

मद्वाक्याद्याति नो नाशं यावदेतज्जगत्त्रयम् । अकालेनापि देवेन्द्र सस्याभावाद्बुभुक्षया

Transliteration

madvākyādyāti no nāśaṃ yāvadetajjagattrayam | akālenāpi devendra sasyābhāvādbubhukṣayā

Translation

“મારા વચનથી આ ત્રિલોકનો નાશ નહીં થાય. હે દેવેન્દ્ર, અકાળે થતો વિલંબ પણ—સસ્યાભાવથી—ભૂખ ઊભી કરે છે.”

Word by Word

• mat: my
• mat: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; षष्ठी-एकवचनस्य रूपम् ‘मम’ अर्थे (in compound)

• vākyāt: from (my) word/command
• vākyāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• yāti: goes/comes to
• yāti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• naḥ: our
• naḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; ‘our’

• nāśam: destruction
• nāśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• yāvat: as long as/until
• yāvat: Kāla/Avadhi (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय/सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधी/पर्यन्तबोधक (until/as long as)

• etat: this
• etat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (in compound)

• jagat-trayam: the three worlds
• jagat-trayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारयवत् (त्रयं जगत्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• akālena: at an untimely time
• akālena: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Hetu (Adverbial/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a- (नञ्) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्-पूर्वक प्रातिपदिक; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘अकालेन’ = at an improper time

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• devendra: O lord of the gods (Indra)
• devendra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (देवानाम् इन्द्रः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• sasya-abhāvāt: from the absence of crops
• sasya-abhāvāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sasya (प्रातिपदिक) + abhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सस्यस्य अभावः); पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• bubhukṣayā: by hunger
• bubhukṣayā: Karana/Hetu (Instrument-Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bubhukṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Pitāmaha (Brahmā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devendra (Indra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā assures Indra that by his word the worlds will not perish, warning that even a delay causes crop failure and hunger; imagery of parched fields transitioning toward rain-bearing clouds.

Characters & Entities

• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• Devendra (Indra)
• Jagat-traya (three worlds)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate governance—cosmic or royal—prioritizes the prevention of hunger; timely sustenance is a core expression of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it emphasizes universal welfare that underlies tīrtha-māhātmya teachings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the instruction is practical and dharmic: ensure timely rain to prevent famine.