Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

पश्य कृत्स्नं धरापृष्ठे शून्यतां समुपस्थितम् । जडत्वान्नृपतेरस्य तस्मात्कुरु यथोचितम्

Transliteration

paśya kṛtsnaṃ dharāpṛṣṭhe śūnyatāṃ samupasthitam | jaḍatvānnṛpaterasya tasmātkuru yathocitam

Translation

ଦେଖନ୍ତୁ, ସମଗ୍ର ଧରାପୃଷ୍ଠରେ ଶୂନ୍ୟତା ଆସିପଡ଼ିଛି; ଏହି ରାଜାଙ୍କ ଜଡତା ହେତୁ ଆପଣ ଯଥୋଚିତ କରନ୍ତୁ।

Word by Word

• paśya: see/behold
• paśya: Kriyā (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paś (पश् धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम

• kṛtsnam: entire
• kṛtsnam: Karman (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛtsna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• dharā-pṛṣṭhe: on the earth’s surface
• dharā-pṛṣṭhe: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharā (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धरायाः पृष्ठम्)

• śūnyatām: emptiness/desolation
• śūnyatām: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūnyatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• samupasthitam: that has arisen/come about
• samupasthitam: Karman-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective to śūnyatām)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + upa + √sthā (स्था धातु) (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; 'समुपस्थितम्' = come/arrived

• jaḍatvāt: due to dullness/stupidity
• jaḍatvāt: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaḍatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ (ablative of cause)

• nṛpateḥ: of the king
• nṛpateḥ: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• asya: of this
• asya: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu/Anvaya (Inferential adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; 'तस्मात्' = therefore (ablative used adverbially)

• kuru: do
• kuru: Kriyā (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम

• yathā-ucitam: as appropriate
• yathā-ucitam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + ucita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावः (क्रियाविशेषण): 'यथोचितम्' = as is proper

Speaker

Ministers (addressing Vasiṣṭha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ministers gesture toward a desolate landscape—empty markets, abandoned fields—while the king sits listless; Vasiṣṭha is urged to act.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• king
• earth/realm

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When leadership lacks capacity, society experiences ‘emptiness’—dharma requires timely, appropriate intervention guided by wisdom.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named here; the forthcoming instruction highlights Sārasvata Tīrtha in Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite yet; it urges appropriate remedial action.