Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

एष एव उपायोऽत्र मया ते परिकीर्तितः । विजयाय सहस्राक्ष नान्योऽस्ति भुवनत्रये

Transliteration

eṣa eva upāyo'tra mayā te parikīrtitaḥ | vijayāya sahasrākṣa nānyo'sti bhuvanatraye

Translation

โอ้พระอินทร์ผู้มีพันเนตร! หนทางเพื่อชัยชนะ ณ ที่นี้ ข้าพเจ้าได้กล่าวแก่ท่านแล้วมีเพียงประการเดียว; ในไตรโลกย่อมไม่มีวิธีอื่น

Word by Word

• एषः: this
• एषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपातः (emphatic particle)

• उपायः: means/strategy
• उपायः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषणम्

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री, तृतीया (3rd/कर्ता-करण), एकवचन; ‘by me’

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान) एकवचन (ते = ‘to you’); (सम्भवतः षष्ठी ‘your’ अपि)

• परिकीर्तितः: has been described
• परिकीर्तितः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘has been proclaimed/described’

• विजयाय: for victory
• विजयाय: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विजय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे ‘for victory’

• सहस्राक्ष: O thousand-eyed one (Indra)
• सहस्राक्ष: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः = ‘he whose eyes are thousand’ (इन्द्र)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपातः

• अन्यः: another
• अन्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• अस्ति: exists
• अस्ति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• भुवनत्रये: in the three worlds
• भुवनत्रये: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुवन (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः = ‘in the three worlds’

Speaker

Bṛhaspati (Devejya, guru of the Devas)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (Sahasrākṣa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-like adviser or leading deva addresses Indra (‘Sahasrākṣa’) with a raised hand of assurance, declaring the singular means to victory across the three worlds.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Śakra/Sahasrākṣa)
• Bṛhaspati (Devejya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True victory arises by aligning with divine counsel and the ordained dharmic means, not merely by force.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as narrative setup within the Tīrthamāhātmya; no specific tīrtha is named in the shloka itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit vrata, dāna, snāna, or japa is stated here—only the assertion of a singular ‘upāya’ for victory.