Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

अथ प्राहुः सुराः सर्वे वह्निं संश्लाघ्य सादराः । त्वं धारयाग्ने वक्त्रांते वीर्यमेतद्भवोद्भवम्

Transliteration

atha prāhuḥ surāḥ sarve vahniṃ saṃślāghya sādarāḥ | tvaṃ dhārayāgne vaktrāṃte vīryametadbhavodbhavam

Translation

حينئذٍ قال جميعُ الآلهة، وهم يثنون على أغني بإجلال: «يا أيها النار، احمل هذه القوّة—المولودة من بهافا (شيفا)—في فمك».

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Anvaya (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/thereupon)

• प्राहुः: said
• प्राहुः: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद (Perfect, 3rd pl, Parasmaipada)

• सुराः: the gods
• सुराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• वह्निम्: Agni (fire)
• वह्निम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vahni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• संश्लाघ्य: having praised
• संश्लाघ्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √ślāgh (धातु) + सम्- (उपसर्ग) → संश्लाघ्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययार्थे ल्यप्/तुमुन्-सम्भव; अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण (Absolutive/gerund: ‘having praised’)

• सादराः: respectfully
• सादराः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sādara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन (2nd person pronoun, Nominative, Singular)

• धारय: hold/bear
• धारय: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Imperative, 2nd sg, Parasmaipada)

• अग्ने: O Agni
• अग्ने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• वक्त्र-अन्ते: at the end of (your) mouth
• वक्त्र-अन्ते: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaktra (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः) ‘वक्त्रस्य अन्ते’; पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-सम्भव, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Locative, Singular)

• वीर्यम्: seed/energy
• वीर्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• भव-उद्भवम्: born from Bhava (Śiva)
• भव-उद्भवम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक) + ud-bhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः) ‘भवात् उद्भवम्/भवोद्भूतम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Devas (collective)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vahni/Vaiśvānara (Agni) as dhāraṇa of Bhava-udbhava vīrya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: All gods gathered, praising Agni with folded hands; Agni, blazing yet controlled, receives Śiva-born potency into his mouth—depicted as a luminous orb entering flame-tongues.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Agni (Vahni/Vaiśvānara)
• Bhava (Śiva)
• Vīrya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service to dharma means accepting a sacred burden; Agni models disciplined receptivity and faithful conveyance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; it supports the mythic foundation that often sanctifies later-described tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly, though Agni’s ‘bearing’ echoes Vedic-purāṇic symbolism behind fire-rites (homa) without prescribing one here.