Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तृतीयस्य समुद्योगं यदा चक्रे स चक्रधृक् । तदा भिन्नं द्विजश्रेष्ठा ब्रह्मांडं लघुतां गतम्

Transliteration

tṛtīyasya samudyogaṃ yadā cakre sa cakradhṛk | tadā bhinnaṃ dvijaśreṣṭhā brahmāṃḍaṃ laghutāṃ gatam

Translation

சக்கரதாரி ஆண்டவன் மூன்றாம் அடியை எடுக்கத் தொடங்கியபோது, ஓ இருபிறப்போரில் சிறந்தவர்களே, பிரம்மாண்டம் பிளந்து, சிறிதாய்ப் போனதுபோல் ஆனது.

Word by Word

• तृतीयस्य: of the third
• तृतीयस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (सम्बन्ध: 'of the third (step)')

• समुद्योगम्: effort/undertaking
• समुद्योगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् + उद् + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Temporal connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (when)

• चक्रे: did/made
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद-रूप (irregular perfect)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चक्रधृक्: the discus-bearer (Viṣṇu)
• चक्रधृक्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + धृ (धातु) → धृक् (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'discus-holder'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Temporal modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• भिन्नम्: was split/broken
• भिन्नम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भिद् (धातु) + भिन्न (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'best of the twice-born'); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), बहुवचन

• ब्रह्माण्डम्: the cosmic egg/universe
• ब्रह्माण्डम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + अण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative: 'Brahmā’s egg/cosmic egg'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• लघुताम्: smallness/littleness
• लघुताम्: Gati-karman (Goal with गम्/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लघु (प्रातिपदिक) + ता (तद्धित/भाव)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (भाववाचक)

• गतम्: having gone/attained
• गतम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past active participle used adjectivally), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ब्रह्माण्डम् इति विशेषण/विधेय (having gone to)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Trivikrama-pāda (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Trivikrama lifts for the third stride; the cosmos appears as an oval ‘egg’ shell cracking as the divine foot approaches, with stars and lokas compressed, devas astonished, sages in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu (Cakradhṛk)
• Brahmāṇḍa
• Trivikrama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine is portrayed as limitless; cosmic boundaries themselves yield before the Lord’s stride—supporting the awe behind tirtha veneration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative supports the sanctity of Viṣṇupada-tīrtha by grounding it in the Trivikrama event.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it continues the cosmological origin account.