Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

एषोऽरुणकरस्पर्शात्स्वाभां त्यजति चंद्रमाः । निशाक्षये निरुत्साहो यथाहं विधिना कृतः

Transliteration

eṣo'ruṇakarasparśātsvābhāṃ tyajati caṃdramāḥ | niśākṣaye nirutsāho yathāhaṃ vidhinā kṛtaḥ

Translation

سحر کی کرنوں کے لمس سے چاند اپنی ہی روشنی چھوڑ دیتا ہے؛ رات کے خاتمے پر میں بھی بےہمت ہو جاتا ہوں—یوں تقدیر نے مجھے بنایا ہے۔

Word by Word

• eṣaḥ: this (one)
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• aruṇa-kara-sparśāt: from the touch of the reddish rays (of dawn/sun)
• aruṇa-kara-sparśāt: Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aruṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (प्रातिपदिक) + sparśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (aruṇasya karaḥ → aruṇakaraḥ; aruṇakarasya sparśaḥ → aruṇakarasparśaḥ)

• svābhām: its own lustre
• svābhām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svābhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• tyajati: abandons
• tyajati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• caṃdramāḥ: the moon
• caṃdramāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdramās (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• niśā-kṣaye: at the end of night
• niśā-kṣaye: Adhikarana (Locus/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niśā (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (niśāyāḥ kṣayaḥ)

• nirutsāhaḥ: spiritless, without enthusiasm
• nirutsāhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirutsāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (eṣaḥ/ahaṃ इत्यस्य)

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/तुलना-निर्देशक (comparative particle)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग/सामान्य, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• vidhinā: by fate; by ordinance
• vidhinā: Karana (Instrument/Agentive means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• kṛtaḥ: made, rendered
• kṛtaḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृत (क्त) कृदन्त; भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत (past passive participle); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थे ‘made/turned’

Speaker

Narrator (unnamed male speaker within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary lover at the edge of night watches the moon fade as first saffron rays touch the horizon; his posture slackens, eyes heavy with fate-bound despair.

Characters & Entities

• Aruṇa
• Candramā
• Savitṛ (implied dawn)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly supports fade like moonlight at dawn; lasting steadiness comes from dharma and devotion beyond changing conditions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it provides poetic framing within the broader māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.