Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

मर्त्यलोके सहस्राक्ष सर्वे धर्माः क्षयं गताः । अपि पापसमाचारा अभ्येत्य पुरुषा इह

Transliteration

martyaloke sahasrākṣa sarve dharmāḥ kṣayaṃ gatāḥ | api pāpasamācārā abhyetya puruṣā iha

Translation

‘सहस्राक्ष! मर्त्यलोके सर्वे धर्माः क्षयं गताः; पापसमाचाराः पुरुषा अपि इह क्षेत्रेऽभ्यागच्छन्ति।’

Word by Word

• मर्त्यलोके: in the mortal world
• मर्त्यलोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे (locative)

• सहस्राक्ष: O Sahasrākṣa (Indra)
• सहस्राक्ष: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; इन्द्र-सम्बोधन (O thousand-eyed)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• धर्माः: duties/righteousnesses
• धर्माः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• क्षयम्: destruction/decline
• क्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• गताः: have gone to/attained
• गताः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) → gata (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; वाक्ये क्रियावत् (have gone/attained)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कार (even)

• पाप-समाचाराः: of sinful conduct
• पाप-समाचाराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + samācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of sinful conduct)

• अभ्येत्य: having approached
• अभ्येत्य: Kriya (Conjunctive action/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अभि+इ (धातु) → abhyetya (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय, अव्ययभाव-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया (having approached)

• पुरुषाः: men/people
• पुरुषाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

Speaker

Devas addressing Indra (contextual; they ‘told Purandara’ in prior verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (implied ‘here’)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas addressing Indra: a vision of the mortal world where dharma fades; streams of flawed humans still walking toward a luminous sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Sahasrākṣa (Indra)
• Dharma
• Humans

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When sacred places become widely accessible, even the fallen seek them—revealing both dharma’s decline and tīrtha’s compassion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The unnamed ‘here’ refers to the Hāṭakeśvara/Gautameśvara sacred zone described in Adhyāya 208.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; it highlights pilgrimage/approach to the tīrtha.