Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अथ शक्रः सुरैः सार्धं गंगाद्वारं समाश्रितः । तपस्तेपे सुदुःखार्तो राज्यश्रीपरिवर्जितः

Transliteration

atha śakraḥ suraiḥ sārdhaṃ gaṃgādvāraṃ samāśritaḥ | tapastepe suduḥkhārto rājyaśrīparivarjitaḥ

Translation

Bấy giờ, Śakra (Indra) cùng với chư thiên tìm nơi nương náu tại Gaṅgādvāra. Đau buồn tột độ và mất đi vương quyền, ngài đã thực hiện khổ hạnh.

Word by Word

• अथ: then/now
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक/आरम्भबोधक (sequence/now-then particle)

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• सुरैः: with the gods
• सुरैः: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sambandha (Association marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक (with/together)

• गंगाद्वारम्: the gate/entrance of the Gaṅgā (Gaṅgādvāra)
• गंगाद्वारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः द्वारम्)

• समाश्रितः: having resorted to/approached
• समाश्रितः: Karta (Predicate participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-श्रि (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• तेपे: performed (did)
• तेपे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुदुःखार्तः: greatly distressed
• सुदुःखार्तः: Karta (Qualifier of subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दुःख (प्रातिपदिक) + आर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सुदुःखेन आर्तः = very afflicted by sorrow)

• राज्यश्रीपरिवर्जितः: deprived of royal fortune/splendour
• राज्यश्रीपरिवर्जितः: Karta (Qualifier of subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक) + श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + परि-√वृज् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (राज्यस्य श्रीः) + कृदन्त क्त (परिवर्जित = deprived/abandoned)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgādvāra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, stripped of royal splendor, sits in austerity on the Gaṅgā’s bank at Gaṅgādvāra; devas stand behind in anxious reverence; the river glows as a liminal gateway between mountains and plains.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Śakra)
• Devas
• Gaṅgādvāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the king of gods turns to a tīrtha and tapas when dharma is threatened—showing that sacred places are refuges for restoration and renewal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgādvāra—celebrated as a powerful pilgrimage gateway where austerities bear fruit (identified with the Haridwar sacred zone).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity/penance) at Gaṅgādvāra is highlighted as the response to crisis; the verse implies disciplined residence and worship at the tīrtha.