Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

चतुरो वार्षिकान्मासांस्तत्र स्थित्वा तदंतिके । मासानष्टौ पुनर्जग्मुस्त्रिदिवं प्रति निर्भयाः

Transliteration

caturo vārṣikānmāsāṃstatra sthitvā tadaṃtike | māsānaṣṭau punarjagmustridivaṃ prati nirbhayāḥ

Translation

അവർ അവന്റെ സമീപത്ത് അവിടെ നാലുമാസം താമസിച്ചു; പിന്നെ ഭയമില്ലാതെ വീണ്ടും എട്ടുമാസം ത്രിദിവം (സ്വർഗം) ലക്ഷ്യമാക്കി പോയി.

Word by Word

• caturo: four
• caturo: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• vārṣikān: annual, yearly
• vārṣikān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vārṣika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• māsān: months
• māsān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of place)

• sthitvā: having stayed
• sthitvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धाातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having stayed)

• tadantike: in its vicinity, near that
• tadantike: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad + antika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (तस्य अन्तिके) (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• māsān: months
• māsān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• aṣṭau: eight
• aṣṭau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक विशेषण (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• punar: again
• punar: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति/कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb: again)

• jagmuḥ: they went
• jagmuḥ: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परिपूर्ण भूत/Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद (Perfect, 3rd person plural)

• tridivam: to heaven
• tridivam: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tridiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• prati: towards
• prati: Karma-pravacaniya (governing accusative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश/पूर्वसर्ग (preposition-like indeclinable: towards)

• nirbhayāḥ: fearless
• nirbhayāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirbhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (narrative voice continuing the account)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣīrābdhi-sānnidhya (archetypal)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm interlude: devas seated in attendance near reclining Janārdana for four months; then a bright procession returning to Svarga, faces relieved, fear lifted.

Characters & Entities

• devāḥ (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Nearness to the divine source of protection dispels fear; divine refuge restores stability across time and seasons.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is near Janārdana in the Kṣīrābdhi context, not a named earthly tīrtha in this excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes duration of stay and subsequent return.