Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

इतश्चेतश्च धावद्भिर्दानवैरेभिरेव च । वृथा मे जायते पीडा तथान्यैरपि दारुणैः

Transliteration

itaścetaśca dhāvadbhirdānavairebhireva ca | vṛthā me jāyate pīḍā tathānyairapi dāruṇaiḥ

Translation

ഇങ്ങോട്ടും അങ്ങോട്ടും ഓടുന്ന ദാനവന്മാരാലും മറ്റു ക്രൂര സത്തകളാലും എനിക്ക് ഇടവിടാതെ വ്യർഥമായ വേദന തന്നെ ഉദിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• itaḥ: from here / on this side
• itaḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: itaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक (directional adverb)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• itaḥ: from there / on that side
• itaḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: itaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक (directional adverb)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• dhāvadbhiḥ: by (those) running
• dhāvadbhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhāv (धाव् धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ); पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• dānavaiḥ: by the Dānavas (demons)
• dānavaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• ebhiḥ: by these
• ebhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (इदम् सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• eva: indeed / only
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• vṛthā: in vain / uselessly
• vṛthā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vṛthā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• me: of me / to me
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (enclitic)

• jāyate: arises / is produced
• jāyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (जन् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• pīḍā: pain, affliction
• pīḍā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pīḍā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• tathā: thus / likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• anyaiḥ: by others
• anyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• api: also / even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (also/even)

• dāruṇaiḥ: by terrible (ones)
• dāruṇaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dāruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Dharaṇī (Earth/Bhūmi)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Personified Earth, distressed, surrounded by chaotic daṇavas rushing in all directions; the atmosphere is heavy, with dust, tremors, and lamentation.

Characters & Entities

• Dharaṇī (implied)
• Daṇavas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked cruelty multiplies suffering across the world, signaling the need for restoration of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a lament that motivates the subsequent dharmic resolution.