Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

न कश्चिच्छयनं रात्रौ प्रकरोति मही तले । धृतायुधा जनाः सर्वे तिष्ठंति सह तापसैः

Transliteration

na kaścicchayanaṃ rātrau prakaroti mahī tale | dhṛtāyudhā janāḥ sarve tiṣṭhaṃti saha tāpasaiḥ

Translation

Ban đêm, không ai nằm ngủ trên mặt đất. Tất cả mọi người đều cầm vũ khí, cùng các đạo sĩ khổ hạnh đứng canh giữ.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• कश्चित्: anyone
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case/कर्ता), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक (indefinite)

• शयनम्: sleep/lying down
• शयनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case/कर्म), एकवचन

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• प्रकरोति: does/makes
• प्रकरोति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• मही: of the earth
• मही: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• तले: on the surface
• तले: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• धृतायुधाः: bearing weapons
• धृतायुधाः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √धृ (धातु) + आयुध (प्रातिपदिक) + धृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समासः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘धृत’

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• तिष्ठन्ति: stand/remain
• तिष्ठन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• सह: together with
• सह: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सह-योगे तृतीया-सम्बन्ध (with + instrumental)

• तापसैः: with ascetics
• तापसैः: Sahakaraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case/सह-करण), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (deduced: Purāṇic narrator in Tīrthamāhātmya frame; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night watch: villagers and warriors stand with spears and bows; ascetics with matted hair and staffs beside them; torchlight flickers; no one lies down; tense silence.

Characters & Entities

• tāpasas (ascetics)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Protection of dharma and sacred space is a shared duty—ascetics and laypeople unite in disciplined vigilance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative; the precise tīrtha name is not stated in this single shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it describes a dhārmic practice of night-watch and restraint (not sleeping) in a threatened sacred setting.