Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यमाराध्य च तैः पूर्वं शक्रामर्षसमन्वितैः । गरुडो जनितः पक्षी ख्यातो विष्णुरथोऽत्र यः

Transliteration

yamārādhya ca taiḥ pūrvaṃ śakrāmarṣasamanvitaiḥ | garuḍo janitaḥ pakṣī khyāto viṣṇuratho'tra yaḥ

Translation

அவரை அவர்கள் முன்பு சக்கிரன் (இந்திரன்) மீது கோபம் கொண்டவர்களாய் வழிபட்டபின், இங்கே விஷ்ணுவின் வாகனமாகப் புகழ்பெற்ற கருடன் என்னும் பறவை பிறந்தது.

Word by Word

• यम्: whom
• यम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; relative pronoun

• आराध्य: having worshipped
• आराध्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-राध् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त (absolutive/gerund): having worshipped

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/conjunction): and

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karta (Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kāla (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक/adverb): formerly, earlier

• शक्रामर्षसमन्वितैः: endowed with indignation at Śakra
• शक्रामर्षसमन्वितैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of तैः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्र + अमर्ष + समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त: सम्-अन्-वि + इ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (शक्रेण अमर्षः यस्य/येषां तैः) = endowed with anger toward Śakra

• गरुडः: Garuḍa
• गरुडः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गरुड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• जनितः: was born/was produced
• जनितः: Kriyā (Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) + णिच् (causative) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘produced/born’

• पक्षी: the bird
• पक्षी: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; apposition to गरुडः

• ख्यातः: became renowned
• ख्यातः: Kriyā (Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘became known’

• विष्णुरथः: Viṣṇu’s mount
• विष्णुरथः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु + रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (विष्णोः रथः) = Viṣṇu’s charioteer/vehicle

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Deśa (Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक/adverb): here

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; relative pronoun referring to गरुडः

Speaker

Sūta (continued)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rudraśīrṣa (Vālakhilya-liṅga precinct)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vālakhilya sages worship a liṅga with intense austerity; Indra is shown in the background as the object of their indignation; from the sacrificial/ascetic energy emerges Garuḍa—radiant, winged, powerful—signaling Viṣṇu’s future mount.

Characters & Entities

• Vālakhilya sages
• Śakra (Indra)
• Garuḍa
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narratives connect divine outcomes to acts of worship, showing how tapas and devotion shape cosmic events.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vālakhilya-consecrated liṅga site within Nāgarakhaṇḍa, linked to the episode of Garuḍa’s manifestation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse references prior worship (ārādhana) of the deity/liṅga by the Vālakhilyas; no step-by-step rite is detailed.