Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अथ शक्रः सुरैः सार्धं गंगाद्वारं समाश्रितः । तपस्तेपे सुदुःखार्तो राज्यश्रीपरिवर्जितः

Transliteration

atha śakraḥ suraiḥ sārdhaṃ gaṃgādvāraṃ samāśritaḥ | tapastepe suduḥkhārto rājyaśrīparivarjitaḥ

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ശക്രൻ (ഇന്ദ്രൻ) ദേവന്മാരോടുകൂടെ ഗംഗാദ്വാരത്തിൽ അഭയം പ്രാപിച്ചു. അത്യന്തം ദുഃഖാർത്തനായി, രാജശ്രീ നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടവനായി, അദ്ദേഹം തപസ്സു ചെയ്തു.

Word by Word

• अथ: then/now
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक/आरम्भबोधक (sequence/now-then particle)

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• सुरैः: with the gods
• सुरैः: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sambandha (Association marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक (with/together)

• गंगाद्वारम्: the gate/entrance of the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgādvāra)
• गंगाद्वारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः द्वारम्)

• समाश्रितः: having resorted to/approached
• समाश्रितः: Karta (Predicate participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-श्रि (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• तेपे: performed (did)
• तेपे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुदुःखार्तः: greatly distressed
• सुदुःखार्तः: Karta (Qualifier of subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दुःख (प्रातिपदिक) + आर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सुदुःखेन आर्तः = very afflicted by sorrow)

• राज्यश्रीपरिवर्जितः: deprived of royal fortune/splendour
• राज्यश्रीपरिवर्जितः: Karta (Qualifier of subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक) + श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + परि-√वृज् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (राज्यस्य श्रीः) + कृदन्त क्त (परिवर्जित = deprived/abandoned)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgādvāra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, stripped of royal splendor, sits in austerity on the Gaṅgā’s bank at Gaṅgādvāra; devas stand behind in anxious reverence; the river glows as a liminal gateway between mountains and plains.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Śakra)
• Devas
• Gaṅgādvāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the king of gods turns to a tīrtha and tapas when dharma is threatened—showing that sacred places are refuges for restoration and renewal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgādvāra—celebrated as a powerful pilgrimage gateway where austerities bear fruit (identified with the Haridwar sacred zone).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity/penance) at Gaṅgādvāra is highlighted as the response to crisis; the verse implies disciplined residence and worship at the tīrtha.