Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । कालेया इति विख्याताः पुरा दानवसत्तमाः । संभूताः सर्वदेवानां वीर्योत्साहप्रणाशकाः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | kāleyā iti vikhyātāḥ purā dānavasattamāḥ | saṃbhūtāḥ sarvadevānāṃ vīryotsāhapraṇāśakāḥ

Translation

スータは言った。「いにしえ、カーレヤと名高き最上のダーナヴァらが現れ、あらゆる神々の威力と気概を滅する者となった。」

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (सूत-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kāleyāḥ: the Kāleyas
• kāleyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāleya (कालेय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; जातिनाम

• iti: thus, called
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (इति)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्ति/उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• vikhyātāḥ: were renowned/known
• vikhyātāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√khyā (वि-ख्या धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kala-adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (पुरा)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• dānavasattamāḥ: the best of the Dānavas
• dānavasattamāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (दानव) + sattama (सत्तम) (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (dānavānām sattamāḥ)

• saṃbhūtāḥ: arose, came into being
• saṃbhūtāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√bhū (सम्-भू धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• sarvadevānām: of all the gods
• sarvadevānām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (सर्व) + deva (देव) (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (sarve devāḥ)

• vīryotsāhapraṇāśakāḥ: destroyers of valor and enthusiasm
• vīryotsāhapraṇāśakāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vīrya (वीर्य) + utsāha (उत्साह) + praṇāśaka (प्रणाशक) (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसमासः (vīrya-utsāhasya praṇāśakāḥ) विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūtaja begins the tale: fierce Kāleya dānavas arise—dark, armored, powerful—casting a shadow over the luminous realms of the gods; devas appear drained of courage.

Characters & Entities

• Kāleyāḥ (Dānavas)
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When adharma rises, it weakens divine order; the Purāṇas frame such crises to show the need for divine intervention and righteous action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named yet; this is the mythic setup that will connect to the chapter’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it begins the narrative of a cosmic disturbance.