Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ह्रियंते बालका रात्रौ छिद्रं प्राप्य सहस्रशः । युष्मदीयाभिरेताभिर्देवताभिः समन्ततः

Transliteration

hriyaṃte bālakā rātrau chidraṃ prāpya sahasraśaḥ | yuṣmadīyābhiretābhirdevatābhiḥ samantataḥ

Translation

ยามราตรี เมื่อพบช่องเปิด เด็กทั้งหลายก็ถูกพาไปนับพัน ๆ โดยเทวะเหล่านี้ของท่าน ที่ล้อมเราไว้รอบด้าน

Word by Word

• hriyaṃte: are being carried off
• hriyaṃte: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √hṛ (हृ धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थे ‘are carried off’

• bālakāḥ: boys/children
• bālakāḥ: Karma (Object in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• chidram: a hole/opening
• chidram: Karma (Object/goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: chidra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• prāpya: having reached
• prāpya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√āp (आप् धातु) + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यबन्त-अव्ययकृदन्त — ‘having reached/attained’

• sahasraśaḥ: by thousands
• sahasraśaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/quantity adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकार/परिमाणवाचक) — ‘by thousands, in thousands’

• yuṣmadīyābhiḥ: belonging to you
• yuṣmadīyābhiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuṣmadīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (देवताभिः) — ‘belonging to you’

• etābhiḥ: by these
• etābhiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (देवताभिः) — ‘by these’

• devatābhiḥ: by the deities
• devatābhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• samantataḥ: on all sides
• samantataḥ: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Spatial adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samantatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘on all sides/everywhere’

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas (petitioning Ambāvṛddhā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ambāvṛddhā (protective sphere)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night scene: shadowy figures of deities/spirits encircle the city; a dark fissure/opening is visible; children being carried away in a whirlwind-like motion, while brāhmaṇas plead.

Characters & Entities

• Ambāvṛddhā (addressed)
• Devatāḥ
• Bālakāḥ
• Chidra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked negative forces exploit ‘openings’; divine guardianship is sought to restore order and safety.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The plea occurs in the Ambāvṛddhā Māhātmya associated with Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, seeking the deity’s intervention through prayer and worship; the verse itself states the problem prompting the rite.