Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तारक उवाच । अजेयः सर्वदेवानां त्वत्प्रसादादहं विभो । यथा भवामि संग्रामे त्वां विहाय तथा कुरु

Transliteration

tāraka uvāca | ajeyaḥ sarvadevānāṃ tvatprasādādahaṃ vibho | yathā bhavāmi saṃgrāme tvāṃ vihāya tathā kuru

Translation

താരകൻ പറഞ്ഞു—“ഹേ വിഭോ! നിങ്ങളുടെ പ്രസാദത്താൽ ഞാൻ എല്ലാ ദേവന്മാർക്കും അജേയനായിരിക്കണം. യുദ്ധത്തിൽ നിങ്ങളെ ഒഴികെ എന്റെ അജേയത നിലനിൽക്കുമാറു വരം നൽകുക.”

Word by Word

• तारकः: Tāraka
• तारकः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अजेयः: unconquerable
• अजेयः: Karta-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-जेय (प्रातिपदिक; जि धातु-निष्पन्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of अहम्)

• सर्वदेवानाम्: of all the gods
• सर्वदेवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive: among/of)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सर्वे देवाः)

• त्वत्प्रसादात्: from your grace
• त्वत्प्रसादात्: Apadana (Source/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + प्रसाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (त्वतः प्रसादः)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विभो: O Lord
• विभो: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यथा: as, so that
• यथा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Correlative adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/उपमानवाचक (as/how)

• भवामि: I become/am
• भवामि: Kriya (Subordinate clause)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• संग्रामे: in battle
• संग्रामे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विहाय: having left, without
• विहाय: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-हा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; धातु: वि-हा; पूर्वकालक्रिया (having left/abandoned)

• तथा: thus, in that way
• तथा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Correlative adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदनुरूप (thus/in that way)

• कुरु: do, make it so
• कुरु: Kriya (Command/request)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Tāraka

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Tāraka, hands folded yet eyes intense, asks for invincibility; Śiva listens calmly, gaṇas exchange wary glances; the contrast between divine serenity and asuric ambition is visually emphasized.

Characters & Entities

• Tāraka
• Śiva
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Boons sought for domination reveal how tapas can be directed by ego; Purāṇic narratives use this to teach discernment and the limits set by the divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The request is made in the Gokarṇa tīrtha narrative context of this adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a direct articulation of the desired vara (boon).