Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

ततः प्रविष्टः संग्रामे न पराजयमाप्स्यसि । त्वं वह्ने सर्वभक्षश्च यत्प्रोक्तो रुष्टया तया

Transliteration

tataḥ praviṣṭaḥ saṃgrāme na parājayamāpsyasi | tvaṃ vahne sarvabhakṣaśca yatprokto ruṣṭayā tayā

Translation

Danach, wenn du in die Schlacht eintrittst, wirst du keine Niederlage erleiden. Und du, o Feuer, bist der Allesverzehrer—so hat sie dich im Zorn genannt.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter; then
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): तस्मात्/ततः = thereafter, from that (place/time)

• praviṣṭaḥ: having entered
• praviṣṭaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√viś (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त): पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अर्थः ‘प्रविष्टः’ = having entered

• saṃgrāme: in battle
• saṃgrāme: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃgrāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• parājayam: defeat
• parājayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parājaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• āpsyasi: you will meet/obtain
• āpsyasi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future/भविष्यत्), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘प्राप्स्यसि/आप्स्यसि’ = you will obtain/meet

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, उत्तम-पुरुषार्थे (2nd person pronoun), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• vahne: O Fire (Agni)
• vahne: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vahni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• sarvabhakṣaḥ: all-devouring
• sarvabhakṣaḥ: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय/उपपद-तत्पुरुषभावः): ‘सर्वं भक्षयति’ इति; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• yat: what/that which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक ‘यत्’ = that which/what

• proktaḥ: was said
• proktaḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त): पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘प्रोक्तः’ = spoken/said

• ruṣṭayā: by (her) being angry
• ruṣṭayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ruṣṭā (प्रातिपदिक; √ruṣ + kta)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; विशेषण ‘रुष्टया’ = by the angry (woman)

• tayā: by her
• tayā: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

Speaker

Narratorial voice within Tīrthamāhātmya (speaker not explicit in the excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara Kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied ṛṣis/śaunaka-ādi sages at Naimiṣāraṇya (standard Sūta frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A boon is pronounced before a looming battlefield: the recipient is assured of non-defeat; Agni is addressed as the all-devouring force, the air charged with wrath and radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Vahni)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic forces (like Agni) operate under divine decree; boons and declarations shape outcomes such as victory or defeat.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse does not name a tīrtha; it is part of the chapter’s connected narrative within the Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; Agni is referenced by nature (sarvabhakṣa) rather than through a rite like homa in this line.