Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

कूर्म उवाच । इन्द्रद्युम्नोऽयमवनीपतिः सत्रिजनाग्रणीः । कीर्तिलोपान्निरस्तोऽयं वेधसा नाकपृष्ठतः

Transliteration

kūrma uvāca | indradyumno'yamavanīpatiḥ satrijanāgraṇīḥ | kīrtilopānnirasto'yaṃ vedhasā nākapṛṣṭhataḥ

Translation

കൂർമൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇവൻ ഇന്ദ്രദ്യുമ്നൻ എന്ന അവനിപതി, മനുഷ്യരിൽ അഗ്രഗണ്യൻ. കീര്ത്തി ക്ഷയിച്ചതിനാൽ വിധാതാവായ ബ്രഹ്മാവ് അവനെ സ്വർഗ്ഗശിഖരത്തിൽ നിന്ന് താഴെ തള്ളിയിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• कूर्मः: Kūrma (the tortoise incarnation)
• कूर्मः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; ‘said’

• इन्द्रद्युम्नः: Indradyumna
• इन्द्रद्युम्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्रद्युम्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अयम्: this (man)
• अयम्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘this’

• अवनीपतिः: king, lord of the earth
• अवनीपतिः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवनी (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अवनेः पतिः) ‘lord of the earth’

• सत्रिजनाग्रणीः: leader of the virtuous
• सत्रिजनाग्रणीः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक) + जन (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्रणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सतां जनानाम् अग्रणीः) ‘leader of good people’

• कीर्तिलोपात्: from (the) loss of fame
• कीर्तिलोपात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीर्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + लोप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कीर्तेः लोपः) Ablative ‘from loss of fame’

• निरस्तः: banished
• निरस्तः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् + अस् (धातु) → निरस्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘cast out/banished’

• अयम्: this (one)
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वेधसा: by Brahmā
• वेधसा: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेधस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘by the Creator (Brahmā)’

• नाकपृष्ठतः: from heaven’s surface
• नाकपृष्ठतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाक (प्रातिपदिक) + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त); तत्पुरुष-आधारः (नाकस्य पृष्ठम्) ‘from the surface of heaven’

Speaker

Kūrma

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: assembly/host (implied) and the addressed interlocutor within the narrative

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kūrma (the Tortoise sage/being) identifies King Indradyumna and narrates his fall from heaven due to diminished fame; the king appears humbled, earthbound, seeking remedy.

Characters & Entities

• Kūrma
• Indradyumna
• Brahmā (Vedhas)
• Svarga (Nāka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even heavenly status is unstable when merit and righteous renown decline; dharma must be renewed to regain upliftment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it introduces Indradyumna’s condition and the cause of his fall.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the verse sets up the need for restoration of merit (often through tapas, tīrtha, or dharmic acts in the larger narrative).