Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 103

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । तच्छ्रुत्वा सत्वरं शक्रो गत्वा भूमितलं ततः । पांसुभिः पूरयामास ते तीर्थे लिंगमेव च

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | tacchrutvā satvaraṃ śakro gatvā bhūmitalaṃ tataḥ | pāṃsubhiḥ pūrayāmāsa te tīrthe liṃgameva ca

Translation

Sūta sprach: „Als Śakra (Indra) dies hörte, eilte er hinab auf die Erdoberfläche; und an eben jenem Tīrtha füllte er alles mit Erde und Staub auf und bedeckte auch den Liṅga.“

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म (श्रवणस्य)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Sambandha (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), ‘having heard’

• सत्वरम्: quickly, in haste
• सत्वरम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सत्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Sambandha (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), ‘having gone’

• भूमितलम्: the ground-surface
• भूमितलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भूमेः तलम्)

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अपादान/क्रमसूचक-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘then/from there’)

• पांसुभिः: with dust
• पांसुभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पांसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन

• पूरयामास: filled up
• पूरयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूर् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative: ‘filled’)

• ते: that
• ते: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘तत्’ इत्यस्य रूपम् (context: ‘that’)

• तीर्थे: at the tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• लिङ्गम्: the liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphasis)

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

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śūdrā/Brāhmaṇī tīrtha complex (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijas (assembled sages/Brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates: Indra descends swiftly to earth and pours dust/earth, filling the tīrtha area and covering the liṅga, leaving a mound-like sacred ground.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Śakra (Indra)
• Liṅga
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even divine beings act promptly to honor and safeguard a tīrtha-liṅga, underscoring the sanctity of Śiva’s presence in sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A particular tīrtha in the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya context (the verse refers to “that tīrtha” connected with a liṅga).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it narrates Indra’s act of covering/filling with earth at the tīrtha, connected to the liṅga’s handling.