Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

आत्मनः शापरक्षार्थं तस्याः कोपविवृद्धये । कलिप्रियस्तदा विप्रो देवस्त्रीणां पुरः स्थितः

Transliteration

ātmanaḥ śāparakṣārthaṃ tasyāḥ kopavivṛddhaye | kalipriyastadā vipro devastrīṇāṃ puraḥ sthitaḥ

Translation

Daraufhin trat der Brahmane Kalipriya vor die himmlischen Frauen—um sich vor einem Fluch zu schützen und ihren Zorn noch weiter zu steigern.

Word by Word

• ātmanaḥ: of himself
• ātmanaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• śāparakṣārtham: for the protection from the curse
• śāparakṣārtham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa-rakṣā-artha (प्रातिपदिक; शाप + रक्षा + अर्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; प्रयोजन (purpose; ‘for the sake of’)

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• kopavivṛddhaye: for the increase of (her) anger
• kopavivṛddhaye: Sampradana (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kopa-vivṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक; कोप + विवृद्धि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन (for increase)

• kalipriyaḥ: fond of Kali (age/being)
• kalipriyaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kali-priya (प्रातिपदिक; कलि + प्रिय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (vipraḥ)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Sambandha (Time adjunct/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• vipraḥ: a brāhmaṇa
• vipraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता

• devastrīṇām: of the divine women
• devastrīṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva-strī (प्रातिपदिक; देव + स्त्री)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• puraḥ: in front
• puraḥ: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puraḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb of place: ‘in front’)

• sthitaḥ: stood
• sthitaḥ: Kriya (State predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृवाच्य-विशेषण (standing)

Speaker

Sūta (narrating)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kalipriya, a Brahmin with anxious eyes, stands before a circle of celestial women; his posture is defensive yet provocative, as if fanning a fire of anger while shielding himself.

Characters & Entities

• Kalipriya
• devastriyaḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-protection that manipulates others’ anger is portrayed as ethically fraught; dharma favors truth and restraint over provocation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage continues within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya framework of Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates interpersonal motives around the sacred gathering rather than prescribing a rite.