Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अथ तांल्लुब्धकान्दृष्ट्वा दूरतोऽपि भयातुराः । पलायनपराः सर्वे मृगा जग्मुर्द्रुतं ततः

Transliteration

atha tāṃllubdhakāndṛṣṭvā dūrato'pi bhayāturāḥ | palāyanaparāḥ sarve mṛgā jagmurdrutaṃ tataḥ

Translation

پھر اُن شکاریوں کو دور ہی سے دیکھ کر، خوف سے بےقرار ہرن سب کے سب بھاگنے پر آمادہ ہوئے اور فوراً وہاں سے تیزی سے نکل گئے۔

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-निपात (particle: then/now)

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

• लुब्धकान्: hunters
• लुब्धकान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लुब्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having seen)

• दूरतः: from afar
• दूरतः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: from afar)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ-निपात (particle: even/also)

• भयातुराः: distressed with fear
• भयातुराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक) + आतुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying मृगाः)

• पलायनपराः: intent on fleeing
• पलायनपराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पलायन (प्रातिपदिक) + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• मृगाः: deer
• मृगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• जग्मुः: went / fled
• जग्मुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• द्रुतम्: quickly
• द्रुतम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Manner modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्रुतम् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb: quickly)

• ततः: from there / thereafter
• ततः: Apadana/Sequence (Source/sequence marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्/ततः—देश/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (from there/thereupon)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mṛgatīrtha (immediate pre-origin action)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Deer spring up and scatter in swift flight, eyes wide, bodies stretched mid-run; hunters loom behind, bows ready; dust and disturbed leaves mark the sudden panic.

Characters & Entities

• Hunters
• Deer

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Fear and harm follow violence; tīrtha narratives often use such tension to reveal divine protection and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This episode is part of the Mṛgatīrtha-māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it continues the origin-story sequence.