Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

देवा ऊचुः । न चेदसि च देवेशि त्वमेनं दानवाधमम् । नाशयिष्यति तत्कृत्स्नं त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम्

Transliteration

devā ūcuḥ | na cedasi ca deveśi tvamenaṃ dānavādhamam | nāśayiṣyati tatkṛtsnaṃ trailokyaṃ sacarācaram

Translation

ദേവന്മാർ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ദേവേശ്വരി, നീ ഈ അധമ ദാനവനെ നശിപ്പിക്കാതിരുന്നാൽ, അവൻ ചരാചരങ്ങളോടുകൂടി സമസ്ത ത്രിലോകവും നശിപ്പിക്കും.

Word by Word

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक (conditional particle: if)

• असि: you are
• असि: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय

• देवेशि: O queen/lord of the gods
• देवेशि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ईशिन्/ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानाम् ईशा)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• एनम्: him
• एनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद्/एनद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• दानवाधमम्: the vilest of demons
• दानवाधमम्: Karma (Object-apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव + अधम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दानवानाम् अधमः)

• नाशयिष्यति: will destroy
• नाशयिष्यति: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु) + णिच् (causative: नाशय)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण (to ‘त्रैलोक्यम्’)

• कृत्स्नम्: entire
• कृत्स्नम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत्स्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण

• त्रैलोक्यम्: the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रयाणां लोकानां समाहारः)

• सचराचरम्: with moving and unmoving beings
• सचराचरम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + चर + अचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (चरं च अचरं च) उपपद ‘स-’ (with)

Speaker

Devāḥ (the gods)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas, alarmed, speak in chorus to the goddess: gestures of warning, pointing toward the three worlds; in the background, faint vignettes of threatened realms—earth, mid-air, heaven—suggest impending annihilation.

Characters & Entities

• Devāḥ
• Devī (Deveśī)
• Dānava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassion must be balanced with protection of cosmic order; unchecked adharma threatens all realms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it is part of the narrative tension within the tīrtha-māhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is a warning about consequences for the worlds.