Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

सर्वभूतगतो विष्णुराप्याययति वै जगत् । तथाश्वत्थगतं विष्णुं यो नमस्येन्न नारकी

Transliteration

sarvabhūtagato viṣṇurāpyāyayati vai jagat | tathāśvatthagataṃ viṣṇuṃ yo namasyenna nārakī

Translation

พระวิษณุผู้แผ่ซ่านอยู่ในสรรพสัตว์ ย่อมหล่อเลี้ยงโลกนี้โดยแท้ ฉันนั้น ผู้ใดนอบน้อมแด่พระวิษณุผู้สถิตในต้นอัศวัตถะ (โพธิ์/ไทรศักดิ์สิทธิ์) ผู้นั้นย่อมไม่เป็นผู้ควรแก่ นรก

Word by Word

• सर्वभूतगतः: present in all beings
• सर्वभूतगतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + भूत + गत (कृदन्त; √गम् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष ('gone into all beings'); विशेषण (of विष्णुः)

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• आप्याययति: nourishes/causes to thrive
• आप्याययति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √प्या (धातु; causative)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; णिच्-प्रत्यय (causative) परस्मैपद

• वै: indeed
• वै: Niyamaka (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• जगत्: the world
• जगत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: 'likewise/so')

• अश्वत्थगतम्: present in the aśvattha tree
• अश्वत्थगतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अश्वत्थ + गत (कृदन्त; √गम् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष ('gone into/located in the aśvattha'); विशेषण (of विष्णुम्)

• विष्णुम्: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• नमस्येत्: would bow to / should worship
• नमस्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नमस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• नारकी: a hell-dweller / one destined for hell
• नारकी: Samanadhikarana (Predicate/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारकिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय (predicate noun)

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced from 'Brahma–Nārada saṃvāda' colophon context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aśvattha (as living tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee folds hands before a grand Aśvattha; subtle Viṣṇu radiance pervades its leaves, suggesting the Lord nourishing all beings.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Aśvattha (Pippala)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seeing Viṣṇu as immanent—especially in the sacred Aśvattha—makes reverence a direct means of protection from grave downfall.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions as tīrtha-style praise of the Aśvattha itself as a living sacred presence within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Namaskāra—bowing/saluting Viṣṇu as present in the Aśvattha tree.