Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

चतुरो वार्षिकान्मासांस्तत्र स्थित्वा तदंतिके । मासानष्टौ पुनर्जग्मुस्त्रिदिवं प्रति निर्भयाः

Transliteration

caturo vārṣikānmāsāṃstatra sthitvā tadaṃtike | māsānaṣṭau punarjagmustridivaṃ prati nirbhayāḥ

Translation

وہ وہاں اس کے قریب چار ماہ ٹھہرے؛ پھر بے خوف ہو کر آٹھ ماہ کے لیے تری دیو (سورگ) کی طرف لوٹ گئے۔

Word by Word

• caturo: four
• caturo: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• vārṣikān: annual, yearly
• vārṣikān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vārṣika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• māsān: months
• māsān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of place)

• sthitvā: having stayed
• sthitvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धाातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having stayed)

• tadantike: in its vicinity, near that
• tadantike: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad + antika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (तस्य अन्तिके) (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• māsān: months
• māsān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• aṣṭau: eight
• aṣṭau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक विशेषण (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• punar: again
• punar: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति/कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb: again)

• jagmuḥ: they went
• jagmuḥ: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परिपूर्ण भूत/Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद (Perfect, 3rd person plural)

• tridivam: to heaven
• tridivam: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tridiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• prati: towards
• prati: Karma-pravacaniya (governing accusative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश/पूर्वसर्ग (preposition-like indeclinable: towards)

• nirbhayāḥ: fearless
• nirbhayāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirbhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (narrative voice continuing the account)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣīrābdhi-sānnidhya (archetypal)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm interlude: devas seated in attendance near reclining Janārdana for four months; then a bright procession returning to Svarga, faces relieved, fear lifted.

Characters & Entities

• devāḥ (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Nearness to the divine source of protection dispels fear; divine refuge restores stability across time and seasons.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is near Janārdana in the Kṣīrābdhi context, not a named earthly tīrtha in this excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes duration of stay and subsequent return.