Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

न कश्चिच्छयनं रात्रौ प्रकरोति मही तले । धृतायुधा जनाः सर्वे तिष्ठंति सह तापसैः

Transliteration

na kaścicchayanaṃ rātrau prakaroti mahī tale | dhṛtāyudhā janāḥ sarve tiṣṭhaṃti saha tāpasaiḥ

Translation

夜には、地に伏して眠る者は一人もいない。人々は皆、武器を手にし、苦行者たちと共に立って見張りをする。

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• कश्चित्: anyone
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case/कर्ता), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक (indefinite)

• शयनम्: sleep/lying down
• शयनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case/कर्म), एकवचन

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• प्रकरोति: does/makes
• प्रकरोति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• मही: of the earth
• मही: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• तले: on the surface
• तले: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• धृतायुधाः: bearing weapons
• धृतायुधाः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √धृ (धातु) + आयुध (प्रातिपदिक) + धृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समासः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘धृत’

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• तिष्ठन्ति: stand/remain
• तिष्ठन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• सह: together with
• सह: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सह-योगे तृतीया-सम्बन्ध (with + instrumental)

• तापसैः: with ascetics
• तापसैः: Sahakaraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case/सह-करण), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (deduced: Purāṇic narrator in Tīrthamāhātmya frame; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night watch: villagers and warriors stand with spears and bows; ascetics with matted hair and staffs beside them; torchlight flickers; no one lies down; tense silence.

Characters & Entities

• tāpasas (ascetics)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Protection of dharma and sacred space is a shared duty—ascetics and laypeople unite in disciplined vigilance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative; the precise tīrtha name is not stated in this single shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it describes a dhārmic practice of night-watch and restraint (not sleeping) in a threatened sacred setting.