Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तेषां मंत्रयतामेष निश्चयः समपद्यत । नान्यत्र धर्मविध्वंसाद्देवानां जायते क्षयः

Transliteration

teṣāṃ maṃtrayatāmeṣa niścayaḥ samapadyata | nānyatra dharmavidhvaṃsāddevānāṃ jāyate kṣayaḥ

Translation

ସେମାନେ ମନ୍ତ୍ରଣା କରୁଥିବାବେଳେ ଏହି ଦୃଢ଼ ନିଷ୍କର୍ଷ ହେଲା—ଧର୍ମବିଧ୍ୱଂସ ବ୍ୟତୀତ ଦେବମାନଙ୍କ କ୍ଷୟ ଅନ୍ୟ କୌଣସି କାରଣରୁ ହୁଏ ନାହିଁ।

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• मन्त्रयताम्: while (they were) deliberating
• मन्त्रयताम्: Adhikarana (Temporal circumstance)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन्त्रय् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त-प्रयोगवत्; षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive plural) वर्तमानकाले ‘while they were deliberating’ (present active participle used substantively)

• एषः: this
• एषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• निश्चयः: decision/conclusion
• निश्चयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निश्चय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• समपद्यत: arose / came about
• समपद्यत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√पद् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• न: not
• न: Nipata (Negator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• अन्यत्र: otherwise / elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/विषयवाचक अव्यय (elsewhere/otherwise)

• धर्मविध्वंसात्: from the destruction of dharma
• धर्मविध्वंसात्: Apadana (Cause/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + विध्वंस (प्रातिपदिक); धर्म-विध्वंस (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• जायते: arises / is born
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• क्षयः: destruction/decline
• क्षयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narratorial voice within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya (contextual attribution: Purāṇic narrator, commonly Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A council of dānavas in debate, one figure pointing to a symbolic scale of dharma tipping; in the background, devas’ radiance wanes as dharma is shown as a pillar holding the worlds.

Characters & Entities

• Devāḥ (the gods)
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse teaches that the true cause of cosmic and social decline is the collapse of dharma; protecting dharma is therefore the highest safeguard for divine order and human welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This line functions as a dharma-principle within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single śloka, but it frames why tīrtha-sevā and dhārmic conduct restore auspiciousness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is stated in this verse; it provides the doctrinal basis that dharma—often strengthened through tīrtha practices in the surrounding passage—prevents decline.