Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा दीनं वैवस्वतस्य च । तत्कालोचितमाहेदं स्वयमेव शतक्रतुः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | tasya tadvacanaṃ śrutvā dīnaṃ vaivasvatasya ca | tatkālocitamāhedaṃ svayameva śatakratuḥ

Translation

สูตกล่าวว่า: ครั้นได้ฟังถ้อยคำของไววัสวตะ (ยม) อันกล่าวด้วยความทุกข์แล้ว ศตกรตุ (อินทร์) ก็ตรัสตอบด้วยคำแนะนำอันเหมาะแก่กาลนั้นด้วยพระองค์เอง

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; 'of him'

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• वचनम्: speech/statement
• वचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); 'having heard'

• दीनम्: the pitiable (condition)
• दीनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; (अर्थतः) 'the pitiable (state/condition)'

• वैवस्वतस्य: of Vaivasvata (Yama)
• वैवस्वतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैवस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; 'of Vaivasvata (Yama)'

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

• तत्-काल-उचितम्: appropriate for that time
• तत्-काल-उचितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम) + काल (प्रातिपदिक) + उचित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: 'appropriate to that time'

• आह: said
• आह: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह्/आह् (धातु; 'to say')
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'this'

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇa (Agent qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: 'himself')

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (particle of emphasis: 'indeed/just')

• शतक्रतुः: Śatakratu (Indra)
• शतक्रतुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतक्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; इन्द्रस्य नाम

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (standard Sūta frame; if not explicit in excerpt, implied by Purāṇic convention)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta as narrator gestures toward a celestial tableau: Yama distressed; Indra (Śatakratu) poised to respond with timely counsel, the atmosphere shifting from lament to guidance.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Yama (Vaivasvata)
• Indra (Śatakratu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In dharmic crises, timely and wise counsel from competent authorities is itself a form of protection for cosmic and social order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it is a narrative connector within the Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.