Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

अथ ते मुनयो दृष्ट्वा तं तथा विगतांबरम् । कामोद्भवकरंस्त्रीणां प्रोचुः कोपारुणेक्षणाः

Transliteration

atha te munayo dṛṣṭvā taṃ tathā vigatāṃbaram | kāmodbhavakaraṃstrīṇāṃ procuḥ kopāruṇekṣaṇāḥ

Translation

Da sahen die Weisen ihn so, ohne Gewand—einen, der in Frauen Begierde erregt—und sprachen mit vor Zorn geröteten Augen.

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भ-सूचक (particle: then)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन

• munayaḥ: sages
• munayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial; prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन

• tathā: thus, in that state
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार-वाचक

• vigata-ambaram: without garments, naked
• vigata-ambaram: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival to tam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vigata (कृदन्त) + ambara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; समासः (vigatam ambaram yasya) — बहुव्रीह्यर्थे ‘naked’, परन्तु रूपेण तत्पुरुष

• kāma-udbhava-karam: causing the rise of desire
• kāma-udbhava-karam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival to tam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + udbhava (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; समासः (kāmasya udbhavaḥ yasmin / kāmodbhavaṃ karoti iti)

• strīṇām: of women
• strīṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (Genitive); बहुवचन

• procuḥ: said, spoke
• procuḥ: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन

• kopa-aruṇa-īkṣaṇāḥ: with eyes reddened by anger
• kopa-aruṇa-īkṣaṇāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival to munayaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kopa (प्रातिपदिक) + aruṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + īkṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (kopena aruṇāni īkṣaṇāni yeṣām)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual deduction)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of matted-haired sages with rosaries and bark garments stand at the edge of an āśrama, eyes reddened with anger, pointing toward an unclothed ascetic Śiva on the road; women linger in the background, startled.

Characters & Entities

• Munis (sages)
• Maheśvara (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Judgment based on outer appearance can inflame anger; the Purāṇic narrative often uses such moments to reveal hidden divinity and the consequences of rash condemnation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is part of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya storyline; the tīrtha is not identified in this specific verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it sets up the ethical and theological conflict leading to a curse.