Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

अथ जीवश्चिरं ध्यात्वा दृष्ट्वा तं ज्ञानचक्षुषा । जगाम सहितो देवैः प्रोवाचाथ सुनिष्ठुरम्

Transliteration

atha jīvaściraṃ dhyātvā dṛṣṭvā taṃ jñānacakṣuṣā | jagāma sahito devaiḥ provācātha suniṣṭhuram

Translation

ତାପରେ ଜୀବ ଦୀର୍ଘ ସମୟ ଧ୍ୟାନ କରି ଜ୍ଞାନଚକ୍ଷୁରେ ତାଙ୍କୁ ଦେଖିଲେ; ଦେବମାନଙ୍କ ସହିତ ସେଠାକୁ ଯାଇ କଠୋର ଭାବେ କହିଲେ।

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम-बोधक (then)

• jīvaḥ: Jīva
• jīvaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• ciram: for a long time
• ciram: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-प्रयोगः (accusative used adverbially); क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• dhyātvā: having meditated
• dhyātvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhyai (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having meditated)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• jñāna-cakṣuṣā: with the eye of knowledge
• jñāna-cakṣuṣā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + cakṣus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन

• jagāma: went
• jagāma: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); परस्मैपदम्; प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन

• sahitaḥ: accompanied
• sahitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sahita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषणम् (agreeing with jīvaḥ)

• devaiḥ: with the gods
• devaiḥ: Saha-karaka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति; बहुवचन

• provāca: said, spoke forth
• provāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); परस्मैपदम्; प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम-बोधक

• su-niṣṭhuram: very harshly
• su-niṣṭhuram: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + niṣṭhura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-प्रयोगः (accusative used adverbially); क्रियाविशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: cave

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Jīva sits in deep meditation; a subtle aura forms, then he rises, leading devas in a purposeful procession toward the hidden place, his face stern with dharmic urgency.

Characters & Entities

• Jīva
• Deva(s)
• Indra (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner clarity (dhyāna and jñāna) enables right action—seeing the truth and addressing wrongdoing firmly.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly; the verse is part of the lead-up within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Meditation (dhyāna) is implied as a spiritual discipline, though no formal rite is prescribed here.