Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

ततस्तैर्दानवैः क्षुद्रैर्विष्णुद्वेषपरायणैः । अन्धकः स्थापितो राज्ये पितृपैतामहे तदा

Transliteration

tatastairdānavaiḥ kṣudrairviṣṇudveṣaparāyaṇaiḥ | andhakaḥ sthāpito rājye pitṛpaitāmahe tadā

Translation

Bấy giờ, bởi bọn Dānava hèn mọn, chỉ chuyên tâm vào lòng thù ghét Viṣṇu, Andhaka được lập lên ngôi, nắm vương quyền và ngai vàng tổ tiên truyền lại.

Word by Word

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb) — ‘then/thereupon’

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Kartṛkaraṇa (Agent/Instrument/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन — ‘by them’

• दानवैः: by the Dānavas
• दानवैः: Kartṛkaraṇa (Agent/Instrument/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन — ‘by the Dānavas’

• क्षुद्रैः: petty; base
• क्षुद्रैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन — विशेषण of ‘दानवैः’ — ‘mean/petty’

• विष्णुद्वेषपरायणैः: intent on hatred of Viṣṇu
• विष्णुद्वेषपरायणैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वेष (प्रातिपदिक) + परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन — ‘devoted to hatred of Viṣṇu’ (विष्णु-द्वेषे परायणाः)

• अन्धकः: Andhaka
• अन्धकः: Karma (Object in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — ‘Andhaka’

• स्थापितः: was installed; was established
• स्थापितः: Kriyā (Predicate as passive participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु) + णिच् (causative) → स्थापय् + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘was installed/established’

• राज्ये: in the kingdom
• राज्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — ‘in the kingdom’

• पितृपैतामहे: in the ancestral (father’s and grandfather’s)
• पितृपैतामहे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ‘राज्ये’/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + पैतामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — ‘in the paternal-and-grandpaternal (ancestral) [kingdom]’

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time) — ‘at that time’

Speaker

Narrator of the Tīrthamāhātmya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A council of small, fierce Dānavas installs Andhaka on an ancestral throne; banners of asuras, shadowed court, ominous coronation rites.

Characters & Entities

• Dānavas
• Viṣṇu
• Andhaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When leadership is chosen by those driven by hatred and adharma, kingship becomes a tool of hostility rather than protection of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it remains within the chapter’s narrative scaffolding.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse describes a political installation (sthāpana) within the mythic narrative.