Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तथा तं शंकरो ज्ञात्वा मृत्युना परिवर्जितम् । ब्रह्मणो वरदानेन सर्वेषां च दिवौकसाम्

Transliteration

tathā taṃ śaṃkaro jñātvā mṛtyunā parivarjitam | brahmaṇo varadānena sarveṣāṃ ca divaukasām

Translation

ശങ്കരൻ ബ്രഹ്മാവിന്റെ വരദാനത്താൽ മരണസ്പർശമില്ലാത്തവനും സർവ്വദേവർക്കും ക്ലേശകാരകനുമായ അവനെ തിരിച്ചറിഞ്ഞ് അവന്റെ അമരത്വം ഗ്രഹിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• tathā: thus; so
• tathā: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकार/अनुक्रम) — ‘thus/so’

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (सर्वनाम)

• śaṃkaraḥ: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṃkaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• jñātvā: having known
• jñātvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययभाव) — ‘having known/understood’

• mṛtyunā: by death
• mṛtyunā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• parivarjitam: exempted; avoided
• parivarjitam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pari-√vṛj (धातु)
• Form: क्त (भूतकृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘तम्’ इति विशेषणम् — ‘avoided/exempted’

• brahmaṇaḥ: of Brahmā
• brahmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• varadānena: by the boon-giving (grant of a boon)
• varadānena: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara-dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण/हेतु), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वरस्य दानम्)

• sarveṣām: of all
• sarveṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; ‘दिवौकसाम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक)

• divaukasām: of the gods (heaven-dwellers)
• divaukasām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divaukas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śaṅkara pauses in discernment amid battle, recognizing Andhaka’s boon-protected state; devas appear distressed, signaling the cosmic stakes of boon-induced invulnerability.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Śaṅkara)
• Brahmā
• Devas (Divaukas)
• Andhaka (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Boons may grant extraordinary protections, yet divine wisdom discerns their bounds and restores cosmic balance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; the broader chapter belongs to a Tīrthamāhātmya setting within Nāgarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse explains the cause of the demon’s immunity from death.