Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तृतीयस्य समुद्योगं यदा चक्रे स चक्रधृक् । तदा भिन्नं द्विजश्रेष्ठा ब्रह्मांडं लघुतां गतम्

Transliteration

tṛtīyasya samudyogaṃ yadā cakre sa cakradhṛk | tadā bhinnaṃ dvijaśreṣṭhā brahmāṃḍaṃ laghutāṃ gatam

Translation

Ketika Tuhan pemegang cakra itu bersiap mengambil langkah ketiga, maka, wahai yang terbaik di antara para dvija, brahmāṇḍa (telur kosmis) pun tertembus dan seakan menjadi mengecil.

Word by Word

• तृतीयस्य: of the third
• तृतीयस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (सम्बन्ध: 'of the third (step)')

• समुद्योगम्: effort/undertaking
• समुद्योगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् + उद् + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Temporal connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (when)

• चक्रे: did/made
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद-रूप (irregular perfect)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चक्रधृक्: the discus-bearer (Viṣṇu)
• चक्रधृक्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + धृ (धातु) → धृक् (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'discus-holder'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Temporal modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• भिन्नम्: was split/broken
• भिन्नम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भिद् (धातु) + भिन्न (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'best of the twice-born'); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), बहुवचन

• ब्रह्माण्डम्: the cosmic egg/universe
• ब्रह्माण्डम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + अण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative: 'Brahmā’s egg/cosmic egg'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• लघुताम्: smallness/littleness
• लघुताम्: Gati-karman (Goal with गम्/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लघु (प्रातिपदिक) + ता (तद्धित/भाव)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (भाववाचक)

• गतम्: having gone/attained
• गतम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past active participle used adjectivally), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ब्रह्माण्डम् इति विशेषण/विधेय (having gone to)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Trivikrama-pāda (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Trivikrama lifts for the third stride; the cosmos appears as an oval ‘egg’ shell cracking as the divine foot approaches, with stars and lokas compressed, devas astonished, sages in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu (Cakradhṛk)
• Brahmāṇḍa
• Trivikrama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine is portrayed as limitless; cosmic boundaries themselves yield before the Lord’s stride—supporting the awe behind tirtha veneration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative supports the sanctity of Viṣṇupada-tīrtha by grounding it in the Trivikrama event.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it continues the cosmological origin account.