Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

विध्वंसयति सर्वाणि धर्मस्थानानि यानि च

Transliteration

vidhvaṃsayati sarvāṇi dharmasthānāni yāni ca

Translation

स सर्वाणि धर्मस्थानानि यानि यानि च सन्ति, तानि सर्वाण्येव विध्वंसयति।

Word by Word

• विध्वंसयति: destroys
• विध्वंसयति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + √ध्वंस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद; सकर्मक

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); बहुवचन; विशेषण

• धर्मस्थानानि: holy places, places of dharma
• धर्मस्थानानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (places of dharma)

• यानि: which
• यानि: Anuyogī (Correlative/relative to 'sarvāṇi')
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (narrative voice continuing the account)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dark, turbulent scene: a fierce daitya’s shadow falls over sacred precincts—broken dharma-pillars, toppled shrines, fleeing sages—signaling the collapse of social and ritual order.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Assaulting dharmic institutions and sacred places is portrayed as a grave adharma that threatens the spiritual order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is specified; the verse speaks generally of dharmasthānas (holy/dharmic places).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a condemnation/description of destructive action against dharmic places.