Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एवमुक्त्वा सहस्राक्षो वालखिल्यान्मुनीश्वरान् । ऐरावतं समारुह्य दक्षयज्ञे ततो गतः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | evamuktvā sahasrākṣo vālakhilyānmunīśvarān | airāvataṃ samāruhya dakṣayajñe tato gataḥ

Translation

苏多说道：如是告诸瓦拉奇利耶仙人后，千眼因陀罗乘上爱罗婆多，遂前往达刹之祭（yajña）。

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (manner adverb)

• uktvā: having spoken
• uktvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव

• sahasrākṣaḥ: the thousand-eyed one (Indra)
• sahasrākṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहिः—'सहस्रम् अक्षाणि यस्य'

• vālakhilyān: Vālakhilya sages
• vālakhilyān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vālakhilya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• munīśvarān: lords among sages
• munīśvarān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural); कर्मधारयः—'मुनय एव ईश्वराः'

• airāvatam: Airāvata (elephant)
• airāvatam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: airāvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• samāruhya: having mounted
• samāruhya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-ruh (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव

• dakṣayajñe: at Dakṣa's sacrifice
• dakṣayajñe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣa-yajña (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—'दक्षस्य यज्ञः'

• tataḥ: then/from there
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/अनन्तरम् इत्यर्थे (ablatival/sequence adverb)

• gataḥ: went
• gataḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (narrator)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied Purāṇic frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, ‘sahasrākṣa’, mounts the white elephant Airāvata; the Vālakhilya sages stand or sit in blessing posture; Indra departs skyward toward the grand sacrificial arena of Dakṣa.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Indra (Sahasrākṣa)
• Vālakhilya sages
• Airāvata
• Dakṣa
• Dakṣa-yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha teachings are woven into cosmic history: right counsel and sacred worship redirect even divine actions back toward dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse transitions from the kuṇḍa/liṅga māhātmya scene to the Dakṣa-yajña episode; the local tīrtha name is not stated here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No prescription; it is narrative movement to the Dakṣa sacrifice.