Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

अगस्त्य उवाच । अहं संवत्सरस्यांते शोषयिष्यामि सागरम् । विद्याबलं समाश्रित्य योगिनीनां सुरोत्तमाः

Transliteration

agastya uvāca | ahaṃ saṃvatsarasyāṃte śoṣayiṣyāmi sāgaram | vidyābalaṃ samāśritya yoginīnāṃ surottamāḥ

Translation

അഗസ്ത്യൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ദേവോത്തമാ! ഒരു വർഷാന്ത്യത്തിൽ ഞാൻ സാഗരത്തെ ശോഷിപ്പിക്കും; പവിത്ര വിദ്യാബലത്തെ ആശ്രയിച്ച്, യോഗിനികളുടെ യോഗശക്തിയോടുകൂടി।

Word by Word

• अगस्त्यः: Agastya
• अगस्त्यः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• संवत्सरस्य: of the year
• संवत्सरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• अन्ते: at the end
• अन्ते: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• शोषयिष्यामि: I will dry up
• शोषयिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शुष् (धातु) caus. शोषय्
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्/Future), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिच् (causative)

• सागरम्: the ocean
• सागरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• विद्या-बलम्: the power of knowledge/spells
• विद्या-बलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्या (प्रातिपदिक) + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘विद्यायाः बलम्’

• समाश्रित्य: having resorted to
• समाश्रित्य: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-आ-श्रि (धातु) → समाश्रित्य (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभाव (gerund/absolutive), क्रियाविशेषणम्—‘having resorted to’

• योगिनीनाम्: of the yoginīs
• योगिनीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• सुरोत्तमाः: best of the gods
• सुरोत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘सुराणाम् उत्तमाः’

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Varuṇālaya / Sāgara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Surottamāḥ (the gods)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya, radiant and austere, declares his year-long resolve to dry the ocean by vidyā and yoginī-śakti, while devas listen in reverent attention.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Ocean (Sāgara)
• Yoginīs
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual power grounded in vidyā (sacred knowledge) and yoga can be mobilized for loka-kalyāṇa (the welfare of the world).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode centers on the ocean and the sacred consequences of Agastya’s act within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s tīrtha setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the verse highlights reliance on vidyā-bala and yogic potency as the means.