Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

श्रीभगवानुवाच । माघमासस्य कृष्णायां चतुर्दश्यां सुरेश्वर । अहं यास्यामि भूपृष्ठे रात्रौ नैव दिवा कलौ

Transliteration

śrībhagavānuvāca | māghamāsasya kṛṣṇāyāṃ caturdaśyāṃ sureśvara | ahaṃ yāsyāmi bhūpṛṣṭhe rātrau naiva divā kalau

Translation

Благословенный Господь сказал: О владыка богов, в четырнадцатый лунный день тёмной половины месяца Мāгха Я сойду на поверхность земли — ночью, а не днём — в эту Кали-югу.

Word by Word

• श्रीभगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• श्रीभगवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संबोधनार्थे देवविशेषः (honorific epithet)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• माघमासस्य: of the month of Māgha
• माघमासस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माघ-मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• कृष्णायाम्: in the dark fortnight
• कृष्णायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; पक्षविशेषे (in the dark fortnight)

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• सुरेश्वर: O lord of the gods
• सुरेश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यास्यामि: will go
• यास्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भूपृष्ठे: on the surface of the earth
• भूपृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू-पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (वैदिक/प्रयोगविशेषे रूपम्)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• दिवा: by day / in daytime
• दिवा: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्/दिवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental) एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् कालवाचक-प्रयोगः (by day / in daytime)

• कलौ: in the Kali age
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; युगे (in Kali age)

Speaker

Śiva (Śrī Bhagavān)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Māgha-kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī (Śivarātri night)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sureśvara (Indra or lord of devas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śrī Bhagavān (Śiva) declares his descent on Māgha dark-fortnight fourteenth, specifically at night; the scene shows a cosmic calendar motif, moon waning, and Śiva moving from celestial realm toward earth under a starry sky.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Māgha
• Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa
• Caturdaśī
• Kali-yuga
• Sureśvara (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śivarātri is divinely appointed as a night of special access to Śiva’s presence, especially meaningful in Kali Yuga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sanctifies a sacred time (Māgha kṛṣṇa caturdaśī night) rather than naming a single tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Night-focused worship on Māgha kṛṣṇa caturdaśī (Śivarātri context), emphasizing nocturnal observance.