Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे तस्य पक्षिनाथस्य तत्क्षणात् । उभौ पक्षौ गतौ नाशं रुण्डाकारोऽत्र सोऽभवत्

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare tasya pakṣināthasya tatkṣaṇāt | ubhau pakṣau gatau nāśaṃ ruṇḍākāro'tra so'bhavat

Translation

اسی لمحے پرندوں کے سردار کے دونوں پر فوراً تباہ ہو گئے؛ دونوں بازو مٹ گئے، اور وہ یہاں بےپر اور معذور، گویا سرکٹ دھڑ کی مانند ہو گیا۔

Word by Word

• etasmin: in this
• etasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• antare: in the interval
• antare: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pakṣi-nāthasya: of the lord of birds
• pakṣi-nāthasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣin (प्रातिपदिक) + nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पक्षिणां नाथः)

• tat-kṣaṇāt: from that very moment
• tat-kṣaṇāt: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तस्मात् क्षणात्)

• ubhau: both
• ubhau: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; विशेषण

• pakṣau: wings
• pakṣau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन

• gatau: went / were gone
• gatau: Kriya (Predicate/क्रियाविधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘गत’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; क्रियाविशेषण/विधेय (predicate)

• nāśam: to destruction
• nāśam: Gati-Karma (Goal/गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ruṇḍa-ākāraḥ: a headless-trunk form
• ruṇḍa-ākāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ruṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (रुण्डः इव आकारः/रुण्डाकारः)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: here)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• abhavat: became
• abhavat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु) + abhi (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrative voice (within Sūta’s narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic moment: the 'lord of birds' mid-air or perched, suddenly both wings disintegrating/vanishing; feathers scattering; the creature collapsing into a wingless, truncated form; nearby the silent ascetic Śāṇḍilī with a contained but potent gaze.

Characters & Entities

• Garuda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas (spiritual power) protects dharma and can instantly counter arrogance; actions and words bear immediate consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to a tīrtha-glorifying section (Tīrthamāhātmya), but this line itself describes the miracle-event rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is narrative, depicting a sudden supernatural consequence.