Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

संध्यायां बालका ये वा स्वपंत्याकाशदेशगाः । ते सर्वे भोजनार्थाय युष्माकं संनिवेदिताः

Transliteration

saṃdhyāyāṃ bālakā ye vā svapaṃtyākāśadeśagāḥ | te sarve bhojanārthāya yuṣmākaṃ saṃniveditāḥ

Translation

സന്ധ്യാസമയത്ത് തുറന്ന ആകാശത്തിൻ കീഴെ പുറംസ്ഥലങ്ങളിൽ കിടന്ന് ഉറങ്ങുന്ന ബാലന്മാർ എല്ലാവരും നിങ്ങളുടെ ഭോജനാർത്ഥം സമർപ്പിതരാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• सन्ध्यायाम्: at twilight
• सन्ध्यायाम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्ध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Locative sg (at twilight)

• बालकाः: boys/children
• बालकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Nominative plural

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Relative pronoun; nominative pl

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (particle of alternative)

• स्वपन्ति: sleep
• स्वपन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्वप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — they sleep

• आकाश-देश-गाः: moving/being in the sky-region
• आकाश-देश-गाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आकाश (प्रातिपदिक) + देश (प्रातिपदिक) + ग (प्रातिपदिक; √गम्-सम्बद्ध)
• Form: सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसमासार्थः ‘आकाशदेशे गाः’ (going/being in the sky-region); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — adjectival to बालकाः

• ते: they/those
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Demonstrative pronoun; nominative pl

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — all (agreeing with ते)

• भोजन-अर्थाय: for food/for eating
• भोजन-अर्थाय: Sampradana (Recipient/Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजन (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुष/प्रयोजनार्थकः ‘भोजनस्य अर्थाय’; पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन — Dative sg (for the purpose of eating/food)

• युष्माकम्: of you (pl.)
• युष्माकम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, बहुवचन — Genitive plural

• संनिवेदिताः: offered, presented
• संनिवेदिताः: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+नि+विद् (धातु) → निवेदित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — presented/offered (agreeing with ते सर्वे)

Speaker

Unspecified (deduced: narrator voice in Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Twilight sky with deepening purple; children asleep in an open courtyard/roadside under the sky; shadowy graha/bhūta figures approach as the sun sets; a distant temple lamp or ghāṭa aarti glow contrasts safety vs neglect.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sandhyā is a sensitive liminal time in dharma literature; negligence then is warned against as spiritually perilous.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific sacred site is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied niyama: keep children protected at sandhyā; avoid sleeping exposed in open places at twilight.