Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

अवतीर्णा धरापृष्ठे वानप्रस्थाश्रमे ततः । एवं सा पञ्चमी रात्रिस्तस्य यज्ञस्य सत्तमाः

Transliteration

avatīrṇā dharāpṛṣṭhe vānaprasthāśrame tataḥ | evaṃ sā pañcamī rātristasya yajñasya sattamāḥ

Translation

แล้วนางก็อวตารลงสู่ผิวพิภพ เข้าสู่อาศรมของวานปรัสถะ ผู้พำนักป่า ดังนี้ราตรีที่ห้าของยัญอันประเสริฐนั้นก็ล่วงไป

Word by Word

• अवतीर्णा: descended
• अवतीर्णा: Kriya (Predicate/Participial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव+तॄ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; "having descended/descended"

• धरा-पृष्ठे: on the earth’s surface
• धरा-पृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरा (प्रातिपदिक) + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे—"on the surface of the earth"

• वानप्रस्थ-आश्रमे: in the vānaprastha hermitage
• वानप्रस्थ-आश्रमे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वानप्रस्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थे

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारार्थे (thus/in this manner)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• पञ्चमी: fifth
• पञ्चमी: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; रात्रिः इति विशेषणम्

• रात्रिः: night
• रात्रिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• यज्ञस्य: of the sacrifice
• यज्ञस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• सत्तमाः: best/excellent (reading uncertain)
• सत्तमाः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; superlative of सत्/साधु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; पाठे असंगतिः—सम्भाव्यं "सत्तमा" (स्त्री. प्रथ. एक.) रात्रेः विशेषणम् वा "सत्तमः" (पुं. प्रथ. एक.) यज्ञस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine figure descends to earth into a forest hermitage; the narrative marks the fifth night of an excellent sacrifice.

Characters & Entities

• vānaprastha (forest-stage hermitage)
• yajña (sacrifice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma honors āśrama-life and yajña as supports for sacred order and spiritual fruition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya, a tīrtha-focused section of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A multi-night sacrificial observance is implied (the fifth night of the yajña), indicating structured ritual time (rātri-count) in the rite.