Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

आनर्त उवाच । कस्माच्छक्रस्य संस्थानं पंचरात्रं धरातले । नाधिकं जायते तेषां यथान्येषां दिवौकसाम्

Transliteration

ānarta uvāca | kasmācchakrasya saṃsthānaṃ paṃcarātraṃ dharātale | nādhikaṃ jāyate teṣāṃ yathānyeṣāṃ divaukasām

Translation

आनर्त म्हणाला—शक्राचे पृथ्वीवरचे वास्तव्य केवळ पाच रात्रींचेच का? इतर स्वर्गवासीयांप्रमाणे त्याचे अधिक काळ का होत नाही?

Word by Word

• आनर्त: Ānarta
• आनर्त: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — speaker name

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — “said/spoke”

• कस्मात्: why/from what cause
• कस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन — ablative “from what?/why?”

• शक्रस्य: of Indra
• शक्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — “of Śakra (Indra)”

• संस्थानम्: sojourn
• संस्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संस्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — “stay/abode/sojourn”

• पञ्चरात्रम्: for five nights
• पञ्चरात्रम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Duration/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (प्रातिपदिक) + रात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — duration “five nights”; द्विगु-समास

• धरातले: on earth
• धरातले: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरातल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — locative “on the earth’s surface”

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध/negation particle)

• अधिकम्: more
• अधिकम्: Karma (Predicate complement/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — “more/greater”

• जायते: arises
• जायते: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — “arises/occurs”

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — “of them”

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/तुलना) — “as/like”

• अन्येषाम्: of others
• अन्येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — “of others”

• दिवौकसाम्: of the heavenly beings
• दिवौकसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव् (प्रातिपदिक) + ओकस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — “of the dwellers in heaven (gods)”; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी)

Speaker

Ānarta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viśvāmitra (implied by next verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal figure named Ānarta questions a sage in an assembly about Indra’s five-night earthly sojourn; palm-leaf manuscripts and ritual implements suggest a tīrtha-mahātmya setting.

Characters & Entities

• Ānarta
• Śakra (Indra)
• Divaukas (Devas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the highest celestial powers are bound by karmic limits; divine privilege does not override dharma’s measure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is framed within Tīrthamāhātmya (sacred-place glorification), but this line itself introduces a narrative question rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None here; it is an inquiry about the duration (pañcarātra) of Śakra’s presence on earth.