Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

शुभे नाशमनुप्राप्ते ध्रुवं नाशो दिवौकसाम् । तस्मात्तेषां वधार्थाय त्वं शोषय महार्णवम्

Transliteration

śubhe nāśamanuprāpte dhruvaṃ nāśo divaukasām | tasmātteṣāṃ vadhārthāya tvaṃ śoṣaya mahārṇavam

Translation

शुभाचा नाश झाला तर स्वर्गवासियांचा नाशही निश्चित आहे. म्हणून त्यांच्या वधासाठी तू हा महान समुद्र शोषून टाक.

Word by Word

• śubhe: when/if the good (state)
• śubhe: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी (7th case/locative), एकवचन (singular)

• nāśam: destruction
• nāśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

• anuprāpte: having occurred, having come about
• anuprāpte: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu + pra + āp (धातु)
• Form: सप्तमी-एकवचन, क्त (past participle) रूपेण; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-सम्भव, ‘having come/when arrived’ (locative absolute with śubhe)

• dhruvam: certainly
• dhruvam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निपातवत् क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial use), ‘certainly’

• nāśaḥ: destruction
• nāśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (singular)

• divaukasām: of the dwellers in heaven (gods)
• divaukasām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divaukas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), षष्ठी (6th case/genitive), बहुवचन (plural)

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-इत्यव्ययप्रयोग (ablative used adverbially), ‘therefore’

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th case/genitive), बहुवचन (plural)

• vadhārthāya: for the purpose of killing (them)
• vadhārthāya: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vadha + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), चतुर्थी (4th case/dative), एकवचन (singular)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (singular)

• śoṣaya: dry up
• śoṣaya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śuṣ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• mahārṇavam: the great ocean
• mahārṇavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + arṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Devas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahārṇava/Samudra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The devas command the hero to dry up the great ocean to expose and slay the Kāleyas; the scene foreshadows a dramatic elemental transformation.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Ocean (Mahārṇava)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The preservation of auspicious order (śubha) is essential for cosmic stability; decisive action is sought to protect dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The oceanic setting is central; the tīrtha significance emerges from the later actions that transform geography into sacred space.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is given; a transformative act (drying the ocean) is requested as a dhārmic remedy.