Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

परं सन्तिष्ठमानानामस्माकं त्रिदशैः सह । अत्यर्थं जायते तीव्रा क्षुत्पिपासा सुदारुणा

Transliteration

paraṃ santiṣṭhamānānāmasmākaṃ tridaśaiḥ saha | atyarthaṃ jāyate tīvrā kṣutpipāsā sudāruṇā

Translation

എങ്കിലും അവിടെ ത്രിദശന്മാരോടൊപ്പം നിലകൊള്ളുമ്പോഴും, ഞങ്ങളിലേയ്ക്ക് അത്യന്തം തീക്ഷ്ണവും ഭീകരവുമായ വിശപ്പും ദാഹവും ഉദിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• param: excessively, greatly
• param: Prakara (Manner/intensity)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः (adverb: excessively/very much)

• santiṣṭhamānānām: of (us) who are remaining/standing
• santiṣṭhamānānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: santiṣṭhamāna (कृदन्त; sam-√sthā (धातु) आत्मनेपदे शानच्/मान)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive), बहुवचनम्; वर्तमान-कर्तरि कृदन्तः (of those who are standing/remaining)

• asmākam: of us
• asmākam: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• tridaśaiḥ: with the gods (thirty)
• tridaśaiḥ: Sahakari (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tridaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakari (Association/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (postposition; ‘with’)

• atyartham: exceedingly
• atyartham: Prakara (Manner/intensity)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atyartha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः (adverb: exceedingly)

• jāyate: arises
• jāyate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्; ‘arises/is born’

• tīvrā: intense
• tīvrā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tīvra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (kṣutpipāsā)

• kṣut-pipāsā: hunger and thirst
• kṣut-pipāsā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣut (प्रातिपदिक) + pipāsā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समासः (hunger + thirst); स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (समाहार/एकवचन-प्रयोगः)

• sudāruṇā: very dreadful
• sudāruṇā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + dāruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समासः (su + dāruṇa = very dreadful); स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (kṣutpipāsā)

Speaker

Pitṛs

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Celestial beings in splendid surroundings suddenly appear distressed—hands on stomach/throat, faces strained—contrasting opulence with inner burning hunger and thirst; the ‘svarga’ backdrop remains bright while the figures show suffering.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Tridaśas (Devas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even exalted ancestors are portrayed as dependent on dharmic exchange—human offerings and remembrance sustain ancestral welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; it sets up the need that a tīrtha-based rite may resolve.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly points toward śrāddha/tarpaṇa (offerings to Pitṛs) as the remedy for their hunger and thirst.