Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

एवमुक्त्वा भगवती सार्धं देवेन शंभुना । अदर्शनं ययौ पश्चात्तथान्यैरपि पार्श्वगैः

Transliteration

evamuktvā bhagavatī sārdhaṃ devena śaṃbhunā | adarśanaṃ yayau paścāttathānyairapi pārśvagaiḥ

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞ് ഭഗവതി ദേവി ദേവൻ ശംഭുവിനോടൊപ്പം, മറ്റു പരിചാരകരോടും കൂടി, പിന്നീട് ദർശനാതീതയായി അപ്രത്യക്ഷയായി।

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार-अव्यय (adverb: 'thus')

• uktvā: having said
• uktvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund), 'having said'

• bhagavatī: the Goddess
• bhagavatī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन

• sārdham: together with
• sārdham: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sārdham (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अर्थक-अव्यय (adverb/preposition: 'together with')

• devena: with the god
• devena: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/सह), एकवचन

• śaṃbhunā: with Śambhu (Śiva)
• śaṃbhunā: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/सह), एकवचन

• adarśanam: out of sight, disappearance
• adarśanam: Karma (Goal/object of motion/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adarśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन; 'out of sight/invisibility' (गन्तव्य-रूपेण)

• yayau: went
• yayau: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (या धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect/परोक्सभूत), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• paścāt: afterwards
• paścāt: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paścāt (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/अनन्तर-अव्यय (adverb: 'afterwards')

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/प्रकार-अव्यय (adverb: 'so/likewise')

• anyaiḥ: with others
• anyaiḥ: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/सह), बहुवचन

• api: also
• api: Emphasis (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (particle: 'also')

• pārśvagaiḥ: with the attendants
• pārśvagaiḥ: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārśvaga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/सह), बहुवचन; 'attendants/those at the side'

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī and Śiva, with attendants, fade into a luminous aura; the king remains below with folded hands, the air shimmering as the divine retinue vanishes.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavatī (Devī)
• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Attendants (pārśvagāḥ/gaṇas implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine darśana is a grace-event: the deity appears, instructs, and withdraws—leaving the devotee to live out dharma and its consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse itself does not name the tīrtha; it belongs to a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter where the sacred setting frames the encounter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the conclusion of the divine audience (darśana) and subsequent disappearance.