Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

तस्मान्मया विनाप्याशु नागैश्चैव नरैस्तथा । तपः शक्त्या प्रकर्तव्यं राज्यं निहतकण्टकम्

Transliteration

tasmānmayā vināpyāśu nāgaiścaiva naraistathā | tapaḥ śaktyā prakartavyaṃ rājyaṃ nihatakaṇṭakam

Translation

فلذلك، وإن غبتُ عنكم، فليُسارع الناغا والناسُ جميعًا، بقوة التَّقشّف (التَّبَس)، إلى إقامة مملكةٍ بلا شوك—منزوعةِ الظالمين والشدائد.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore/from that
• tasmāt: Apadana (Cause/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Agent/instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Exclusion relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपपद-अव्यय (without)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: even/also)

• āśu: quickly
• āśu: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āśu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: quickly)

• nāgaiḥ: by/with nāgas (serpents/elephants; here: nāgas)
• nāgaiḥ: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordinator/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• naraiḥ: by/with men
• naraiḥ: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: likewise)

• tapaḥ: austerity/penance
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• śaktyā: by power/ability
• śaktyā: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• prakartavyam: must be performed
• prakartavyam: Kriya (Obligation predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√kṛ (धातु) + tavya (तव्यत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (gerundive/तव्यत्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (to be done)

• rājyam: kingdom/rule
• rājyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• nihata-kaṇṭakam: with obstacles removed/thornless
• nihata-kaṇṭakam: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nihata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; ni-√han + kta) + kaṇṭaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (यस्य कण्टकाः निहताः तत्) विशेषणम् (qualifies rājyam)

Speaker

A king/ruler (speaker not explicitly named in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nāgas (serpent-hooded divine beings) and humans performing austerities near a sacred grove/riverbank; from their tapas arises a radiant, orderly kingdom—fort gates open to pilgrims, thorns/bandits symbolically burned away.

Characters & Entities

• Nāgas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas (disciplined spiritual power) is presented as a force that can restore dharmic order and remove societal ‘thorns’.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named yet; the verse emphasizes tapas as the means before the tīrtha is identified later.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas is prescribed broadly (austerity/discipline), without a specific vow, bath, or donation detailed here.