Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

सेवितं नृपशार्दूल श्वापदैवैर्विविधैरपि । तत्र ये निधनं प्राप्ताः पक्षिणः कीटकादयः

Transliteration

sevitaṃ nṛpaśārdūla śvāpadaivairvividhairapi | tatra ye nidhanaṃ prāptāḥ pakṣiṇaḥ kīṭakādayaḥ

Translation

ഹേ നൃപശാർദൂലാ! ആ സ്ഥലം നാനാവിധ ശ്വാപദങ്ങൾ (ഹിംസക മൃഗങ്ങൾ) കൊണ്ടും സേവിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. അവിടെ പക്ഷികൾ, കീടങ്ങൾ മുതലായവർ മരണം പ്രാപിച്ചാൽ…

Word by Word

• सेवितम्: frequented/inhabited
• सेवितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सेव् (धातु) → सेवित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे 'सेव्यम्/सेवितम्'—'frequented/inhabited'

• नृपशार्दूल: O tiger among kings
• नृपशार्दूल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + शार्दूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—'नृपाणां शार्दूलः' (vocative epithet)

• श्वापदैः: by wild beasts/predators
• श्वापदैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वापद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन

• एवैः: indeed/also
• एवैः: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात; पदपाठे 'एव' (sandhi: एव + ऐः)

• विविधैः: various
• विविधैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (श्वापदैः)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपात (particle: 'also/even')

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• ये: who/which
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• निधनम्: death
• निधनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• प्राप्ताः: attained (met)
• प्राप्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत्/विधेय-विशेषणम्—'having attained' (= died)

• पक्षिणः: birds
• पक्षिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• कीटकादयः: insects and others
• कीटकादयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीटक (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—कीटक-आदि ('insects and the like')

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (‘nṛpaśārdūla’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred forest visited by predators; small beings—birds and insects—meeting death within the kṣetra, yet the atmosphere suggests protective sanctity rather than horror.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya
• Nṛpaśārdūla (addressed king)
• Animals, birds, insects

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of a tīrtha is so pervasive that even non-human beings are drawn into its sphere of spiritual consequence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, whose holiness is implied to affect even the fate of creatures dying there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it prepares the ground for the stated fruit (phala) in subsequent verses.