Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

नागवृक्षं तथा नागाः सिद्धाः कंकोलकं द्रुमम् । गुह्यकाः पनसं चैव किन्नरा मरिचं श्रिताः

Transliteration

nāgavṛkṣaṃ tathā nāgāḥ siddhāḥ kaṃkolakaṃ drumam | guhyakāḥ panasaṃ caiva kinnarā maricaṃ śritāḥ

Translation

وكذلك تقيمُ الناغا في شجرةِ الناغا؛ ويقيمُ السِّدّها في شجرةِ الكَمْكولاكا. وتسكنُ الغوهيَكا شجرةَ الجاك فروت، وتتخذُ الكِنّارا نباتَ المَريچا (الفلفل) ملجأً.

Word by Word

• नागवृक्षम्: nāga-tree (a specific tree)
• नागवृक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग + वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नागस्य वृक्षः)

• तथा: likewise, and
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अनुक्रमसूचक (and/likewise)

• नागाः: Nāgas (serpent-beings)
• नागाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• सिद्धाः: Siddhas (perfected beings)
• सिद्धाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• कंकोलकम्: kankolaka (a spice/plant)
• कंकोलकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कंकोलक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• द्रुमम्: tree
• द्रुमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• गुह्यकाः: Guhyakas (yakṣa-attendants)
• गुह्यकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुह्यक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• पनसम्: jackfruit tree
• पनसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पनस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeed/just)

• किन्नराः: Kinnaras (celestial beings)
• किन्नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किन्नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• मरिचम्: black pepper
• मरिचम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरिच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• श्रिताः: have resorted to / dwell in
• श्रिताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘आश्रित’ = having resorted to

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grove where a nāga-tree is guarded by serpent beings; siddhas appear as luminous ascetics near a kaṃkolaka tree; guhyakas as hidden guardians in a jackfruit tree; kinnaras as half-celestial musicians near pepper vines.

Characters & Entities

• Nāgas
• Siddhas
• Guhyakas
• Kinnaras
• Nāga-tree
• Kaṃkolaka
• Panasa (jackfruit)
• Marica (black pepper)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The world of the tīrtha is multi-layered: trees and plants are portrayed as seats of subtle beings, encouraging reverence toward nature as sacred.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya, the glorification is of the tīrtha-landscape itself—its sacred flora—rather than a single named location in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the implied dharma is non-harm and honoring such trees/plants as spiritually inhabited.