Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

गृहे यस्य स्वयं विष्णुर्भूत्वा चैव चतुर्विधः । रावणस्य विनाशार्थं जन्म चक्रे प्रहर्षितः

Transliteration

gṛhe yasya svayaṃ viṣṇurbhūtvā caiva caturvidhaḥ | rāvaṇasya vināśārthaṃ janma cakre praharṣitaḥ

Translation

ਜਿਸ ਦੇ ਘਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਵਿਸ਼ਣੂ ਆਪ ਚਤੁਰਵਿਧ ਰੂਪ ਧਾਰ ਕੇ, ਰਾਵਣ ਦੇ ਵਿਨਾਸ਼ ਲਈ ਪ੍ਰਸੰਨ ਹੋ ਜਨਮ ਲਿਆ।

Word by Word

• gṛhe: in the house
• gṛhe: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• yasya: whose
• yasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्वार्थे अव्यय (emphatic/reflexive adverb)

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• bhūtvā: having become
• bhūtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Conjunctive action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘भू’ धातोः; पूर्वक्रिया

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• caturvidhaḥ: fourfold
• caturvidhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of viṣṇuḥ/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur + vidha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—तत्पुरुष (चतुर्णां विधः = fourfold)

• rāvaṇasya: of Rāvaṇa
• rāvaṇasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāvaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• vināśārtham: for (his) destruction
• vināśārtham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vināśa + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे (purpose); समासः—तत्पुरुष (विनाशस्य अर्थः)

• janma: birth
• janma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• cakre: took/assumed (did)
• cakre: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• praharṣitaḥ: delighted
• praharṣitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective of viṣṇuḥ/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: praharṣita (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sanctified household where Viṣṇu appears in a fourfold manifestation, radiating joy, with the distant motif of Laṅkā and the impending fall of Rāvaṇa implied through symbolic weapons and omens.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Rāvaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇas depict divine incarnation as a dharmic intervention: God manifests to protect the world and remove oppressive evil.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it continues the royal/purāṇic characterization within Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a doctrinal-historical statement about divine birth and purpose.