Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

ततः समुद्रनाशाय मंत्रं चक्रुः सुदुःखिताः । तस्मिन्नष्टे भवन्त्येव वध्या दानवसत्तमाः

Transliteration

tataḥ samudranāśāya maṃtraṃ cakruḥ suduḥkhitāḥ | tasminnaṣṭe bhavantyeva vadhyā dānavasattamāḥ

Translation

そこで彼らは深い悲嘆のうちに、海を滅ぼすための真言を作り上げた。海が失われれば、ダーナヴァの最上の者たちでさえ討たれ得るからである。

Word by Word

• ततः: thereafter; from that
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — 'thereafter/from that'

• समुद्र-नाशाय: for the destruction of the ocean
• समुद्र-नाशाय: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + नाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे दत्तिविभक्ति (for the purpose of)

• मन्त्रम्: a mantra
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) — conjunction

• चक्रुः: they performed/made
• चक्रुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• सुदुःखिताः: very distressed
• सुदुःखिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दुःखित (कृदन्त; दुःख्/दुःख + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying the subject)

• तस्मिन्: when/while that (ocean)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• नष्टे: having been destroyed
• नष्टे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नष्ट (कृदन्त; नश् धातु + क्त)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• भवन्ति: they become/are
• भवन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चयार्थक/अवधारण) — emphatic particle

• वध्याः: to be slain; killable
• वध्याः: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वध्य (प्रातिपदिक; √वध् + यत्/णीय-भाव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• दानव-सत्तमाः: the best of the Dānavas
• दानव-सत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; सत् + तमप्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे न (not vocative)

Speaker

Narrator (deduced; not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas, grief-stricken yet resolute, convene on a stormy shore; they compose/empower a mantra aimed at ‘ocean-destruction,’ envisioning the dānavas becoming vulnerable once the sea barrier is removed.

Characters & Entities

• samudra (ocean)
• mantra
• dānavas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra (sacred power) is presented as a dhārmic instrument when ordinary means cannot restore order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; it advances the Tīrthamāhātmya storyline tied to coastal sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The crafting/using of a mantra is mentioned generally; no specific japa count, rite, or vidhi is given here.