Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

स किल श्रूयते देवः क्षीराब्धौ मधुसूदनः । सदैव भगवाञ्छेते योगनिद्रां समाश्रितः

Transliteration

sa kila śrūyate devaḥ kṣīrābdhau madhusūdanaḥ | sadaiva bhagavāñchete yoganidrāṃ samāśritaḥ

Translation

Vì người ta vẫn nghe rằng đấng thần linh Madhusūdana nằm trên Biển Sữa, và rằng Đức Thế Tôn hằng an nghỉ, đã nhập vào giấc ngủ du-già (yoga-nidrā).

Word by Word

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

• kila: indeed, it is said
• kila: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kila (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), hearsay/emphasis

• śrūyate: is heard, is said
• śrūyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि (passive)

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; apposition to saḥ

• kṣīra-abdhau: in the ocean of milk
• kṣīra-abdhau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣīra (प्रातिपदिक) + abdhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (क्षीरस्य अब्धिः), पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• madhu-sūdanaḥ: Madhusūdana (slayer of Madhu)
• madhu-sūdanaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhu (प्रातिपदिक) + sūdana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (मधुं सूदयति), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालाव्यय (adverb of time)

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• śete: lies, reclines
• śete: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śī (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• yoga-nidrām: yogic sleep
• yoga-nidrām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoga (प्रातिपदिक) + nidrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (योगस्य निद्रा), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• samāśritaḥ: having resorted to, having assumed
• samāśritaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ā√śri (धातु) + samāśrita (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; predicate participle with bhagavān

Speaker

Ṛṣis (continuing their objection/questioning)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣīrābdhi (mythic locus)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cosmic tableau: Madhusūdana reclining on Śeṣa upon the luminous Milk Ocean, surrounded by calm waves, lotus motifs, and a sense of timeless yogic sleep; gods at a distance in reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Madhusūdana (Viṣṇu)
• Kṣīrābdhi (Ocean of Milk)
• Yoganidrā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames a theological tension between cosmic Viṣṇu (Kṣīrābdhi) and localized manifestation at a pilgrimage site.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse itself names the cosmic Kṣīrābdhi, while the surrounding passage concerns a biladvāra shrine of Jalaśāyī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it provides doctrinal background about Viṣṇu’s yogic sleep.