Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

मा दैत्य प्रविजानीहि यन्नष्टस्त्रिदशाधिपः । एष नागो रणं हित्वा विवशो याति मे बलात्

Transliteration

mā daitya pravijānīhi yannaṣṭastridaśādhipaḥ | eṣa nāgo raṇaṃ hitvā vivaśo yāti me balāt

Translation

“Wahai Daitya, janganlah menyangka bahawa penguasa para dewa telah binasa. Gajah ini meninggalkan medan perang dan sedang dihalau pergi tanpa daya oleh kekuatanku.”

Word by Word

• mā: do not
• mā: Pratiṣedha (Prohibition marker/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mā (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (prohibitive particle: do not)

• daitya: O Daitya
• daitya: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case/vocative), एकवचन

• pravijānīhi: know/understand
• pravijānīhi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + vijñā (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• yat: that (fact)
• yat: Karma (Object of knowing/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun: that/which)

• naṣṭaḥ: lost/vanished
• naṣṭaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: naṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from naś)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त (past participle)

• tridaśādhipaḥ: lord of the gods (Indra)
• tridaśādhipaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tridaśa + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (tridaśānām adhipaḥ)

• eṣaḥ: this
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; निर्देशार्थक (demonstrative pronoun)

• nāgaḥ: elephant
• nāgaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• raṇam: battle
• raṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• hitvā: having left
• hitvā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having abandoned’

• vivaśaḥ: helpless/overpowered
• vivaśaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vivaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• yāti: goes
• yāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th case/genitive), एकवचन; ‘of me/my’

• balāt: from (my) force
• balāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Ablative source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case/ablative), एकवचन; हेतौ/कारणार्थे (because of/from force)

Speaker

Indra (Śakra, Tridaśādhipa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra addresses the Daitya directly, declaring the gods’ lord is not destroyed; the elephant (nāga) is shown retreating from the battlefield under Indra’s force, while asuras look on in surprise.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Tridaśādhipa/Śakra)
• Daitya
• Nāga (elephant; Airāvata implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma’s guardians may appear to withdraw, yet divine order is not defeated; power guided by righteousness restores balance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named here; the verse is part of a larger māhātmya narrative context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.