Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

तस्माद्भूभितले देव कृत्वा जन्म स्वयं विभो । भारं नाशय मेदिन्या एतदर्थ मिहागतः

Transliteration

tasmādbhūbhitale deva kṛtvā janma svayaṃ vibho | bhāraṃ nāśaya medinyā etadartha mihāgataḥ

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട്, ഹേ ദേവാ, ഹേ സർവ്വശക്തനായ വിഭോ! നീ സ്വേച്ഛയാൽ ഭൂമിയിൽ അവതരിച്ച് ദേവീ ഭൂമിയുടെ ഭാരം നീക്കണമേ; ഈ ലക്ഷ്യത്താലാണ് ഞാൻ ഇവിടെ വന്നത്.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore; from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तस्मात्-प्रयोगः), अपादानार्थे/हेतौ (ablatival sense: 'therefore/from that')

• भू-भितले: on the surface of the earth
• भू-भितले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक) + भितल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (भूयाः भितलम् = earth-surface)

• देव: O god
• देव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having made/assumed
• कृत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/absolutive), 'having done/made'

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• स्वयम्: oneself
• स्वयम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphatic adverb)

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

• भारम्: burden
• भारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• नाशय: destroy/remove
• नाशय: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश्/नाशय (धातु-प्रयोगः; causative of नश्)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• मेदिन्याः: of the earth
• मेदिन्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेदिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• एतदर्थम्: for this purpose
• एतदर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (एतस्य अर्थः)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• आगतः: has come
• आगतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः (agreeing with implied 'I/he')

Speaker

Nārada (to Viṣṇu), implied

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A supplicant (likely Nārada or a divine envoy) entreats the Lord to take birth on Earth to remove Bhūdevī’s burden; Bhūdevī is implied as bowed and distressed, with cosmic scale suggested by the Earth-goddess motif.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Viṣṇu
• Medinī/Bhūmi (Earth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine compassion is expressed through voluntary incarnation to protect the world and uphold dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific location is praised in this verse; it supports the broader tīrtha-mahātmya storyline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is petitionary and narrative.