Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे विष्णुरागतस्तत्र तत्क्षणात् । आह भूतं तदा विष्णुर्वचसा ह्लादयन्निव

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare viṣṇurāgatastatra tatkṣaṇāt | āha bhūtaṃ tadā viṣṇurvacasā hlādayanniva

Translation

ഇതിനിടയിൽ വിഷ്ണു തത്സമയത്തിൽ അവിടെ എത്തി. അപ്പോൾ വിഷ്ണു വചനങ്ങളാൽ അതിനെ ആശ്വസിപ്പിക്കുന്നവനെന്നപോലെ ആ ഭൂതത്തെ അഭിസംബോധന ചെയ്തു.

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अन्तरे: in the interval
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Time locus/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; 'अन्तरे' = 'in the interval'

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• आगतः: having come, arrived
• आगतः: Kriyā (Predicative participle/क्रिया-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āgata (प्रातिपदिक; √gam (धातु) क्त-प्रत्यय, उपसर्ग: ā-)
• Form: भूतकालिक क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• तत्क्षणात्: immediately
• तत्क्षणात्: Adhikarana (Time locus/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tat + kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय (adverb), 'तत्क्षणे/तत्क्षणात्' (immediately)

• आह: said
• आह: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• भूतम्: the being/ghost
• भूतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• वचसा: by (his) words
• वचसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• ह्लादयन्: gladdening, pleasing
• ह्लादयन्: Karta (Agent participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hlādayat (प्रातिपदिक; √hlād (धातु) शतृ-प्रत्यय, causative sense)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• इव: as if
• इव: Sambandha (Comparative particle/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-वाचक निपात (particle of comparison)

Speaker

Narrator (deductive: Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa); direct speech introduced for Viṣṇu in the next verses.

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the height of chaos, Viṣṇu appears instantly—radiant, calm, four-armed—facing the fierce spirit; his hand gestures and serene gaze ‘cool’ the being; the battlefield hushes.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Bhūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine intervention often comes through calm, dharmic speech—not only through force—restoring balance by wisdom.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within a Tīrtha-māhātmya chapter, but the excerpt does not name the tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse narrates Viṣṇu’s arrival and approach.