Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । सत्यमेतन्महाभागाः क्षीराब्धौ मधुसूदनः । योगनिद्रां गतः शेते शेषपर्यंकशा यकः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | satyametanmahābhāgāḥ kṣīrābdhau madhusūdanaḥ | yoganidrāṃ gataḥ śete śeṣaparyaṃkaśā yakaḥ

Translation

സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ മഹാഭാഗന്മാരേ! ഇത് സത്യമാണ്; മധുസൂദനൻ ക്ഷീരസമുദ്രത്തിൽ യോഗനിദ്രയിൽ പ്രവേശിച്ച് ശേഷനാഗത്തിന്റെ ശയ്യാ-പര്യങ്കത്തിൽ ശയിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

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

• सत्यम्: true
• सत्यम्: Pratijna/Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; वाक्ये विधेय (predicative)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• महाभागाः: O fortunate ones
• महाभागाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + भाग (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative); बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् भागः यस्य)

• क्षीराब्धौ: in the ocean of milk
• क्षीराब्धौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर + अब्धि (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (क्षीरस्य अब्धिः)

• मधुसूदनः: Madhusūdana (Vishnu)
• मधुसूदनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु + सूदन (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मधोः सूदनः)

• योगनिद्राम्: yogic sleep
• योगनिद्राम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग + निद्रा (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (योगस्य निद्रा)

• गतः: having entered, gone into
• गतः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘मधुसूदनः’)

• शेते: lies
• शेते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शी (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार; प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• शेषपर्यङ्कशाय्यकः: one who lies on the couch of Śeṣa
• शेषपर्यङ्कशाय्यकः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शेष + पर्यङ्क + शाय्यक (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (शेषस्य पर्यङ्कः; तस्मिन् शाय्यकः = शेषपर्यङ्के शयितः)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣīrābdhi-Anantaśayana (doctrinal anchor)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta calmly instructs the sages; behind him a visionary overlay shows Viṣṇu on Śeṣa in the Milk Ocean—an authoritative confirmation—while the cave-entrance shrine remains in the foreground, hinting at two levels of presence.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Madhusūdana (Viṣṇu)
• Kṣīrābdhi
• Śeṣa
• Yoganidrā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Orthodox cosmology is affirmed before explaining how the same Lord manifests at a terrestrial pilgrimage site.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse highlights the cosmic abode (Kṣīrābdhi), setting up the later explanation of the local biladvāra shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a doctrinal confirmation about Viṣṇu’s yoganidrā on Śeṣa.