Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

ततोऽभवन्महायुद्धं देवानां दानवैः सह । त्रैलोक्यं कंपितं येन समस्तं भय विह्वलम्

Transliteration

tato'bhavanmahāyuddhaṃ devānāṃ dānavaiḥ saha | trailokyaṃ kaṃpitaṃ yena samastaṃ bhaya vihvalam

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ദേവന്മാരും ദാനവന്മാരും തമ്മിൽ ഘോരമായ മഹായുദ്ധം നടന്നു. അതുകാരണം മൂന്നു ലോകങ്ങളും വിറയ്ക്കുകയും ഭയത്താൽ പരവശരാവുകയും ചെയ്തു.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ‘then’

• abhavat: arose, happened
• abhavat: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; ‘arose/was’

• mahāyuddham: a great battle
• mahāyuddham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + yuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; subject of abhavat

• devānām: of the gods
• devānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; genitive ‘of the gods’

• dānavaiḥ: with the Dānavas
• dānavaiḥ: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अव्यय; ‘together with’

• trailokyam: the three worlds
• trailokyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• kampitam: shaken
• kampitam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kamp (धातु) → kampita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘shaken’

• yena: by which
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; relative pronoun ‘by which’ referring to mahāyuddham

• samastam: entire
• samastam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘entire’ (qualifies trailokyam)

• bhaya: fear
• bhaya: Hetu/Upapada (Cause notion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; used as first member in sense with vihvalam

• vihvalam: distressed, shaken with fear
• vihvalam: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vihvala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘distressed, agitated’ (of trailokyam)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic war scene: devas and dānavas clash; the three worlds symbolically quake—mountains ripple, oceans surge, heavens darken; beings tremble in fear.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Dānavas
• Trailokya (three worlds)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharma and adharma clash, the effects are cosmic—actions ripple through all realms, urging beings toward righteous alignment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse does not name a site; it heightens the Mahātmya narrative atmosphere leading into the tīrtha’s significance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.