Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

कस्यचित्क्वापि मर्त्यस्य तिर्यग्योनिग तस्य च । क्रीडंति नकुलाः सर्पैर्मार्जाराः सह मूषकैः

Transliteration

kasyacitkvāpi martyasya tiryagyoniga tasya ca | krīḍaṃti nakulāḥ sarpairmārjārāḥ saha mūṣakaiḥ

Translation

Irgendwo, für einen bestimmten Sterblichen—und ebenso für jene, die in tierischer Geburt sind—spielen Mungos mit Schlangen und Katzen mit Mäusen.

Word by Word

• कस्यचित्: of someone
• कस्यचित्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चित-सम्बन्ध (of some)

• क्वापि: somewhere
• क्वापि: Avyaya (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय) + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb) + अव्यय 'अपि' (emphasis/indefiniteness)

• मर्त्यस्य: of a mortal
• मर्त्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (of a mortal)

• तिर्यग्योनिगः: an animal-born being
• तिर्यग्योनिगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिर्यक् + योनि + ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (तिर्यग्योनौ गः = one who goes/ is born in an animal womb)

• तस्य: of him/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (of him/that)

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• क्रीडन्ति: play, sport
• क्रीडन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्रीड् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• नकुलाः: mongooses
• नकुलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्ता

• सर्पैः: with snakes
• सर्पैः: Sahakari (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सहकारक/सहयोग (with whom)

• मार्जाराः: cats
• मार्जाराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्जार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्ता (co-subject)

• सह: together with
• सह: Avyaya (Association marker/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक-उपसर्गसदृश (preposition-like indeclinable)

• मूषकैः: with mice
• मूषकैः: Sahakari (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूषक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सहकारक (with whom)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator voice (Purāṇic narration within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wondrous peaceful grove near a tīrtha: mongooses frolic with serpents; cats sit calmly with mice; a human pilgrim watches in astonishment, hands folded, sensing the kṣetra’s power.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A powerful tīrtha-field and accumulated tapas can pacify even innate hostility, symbolizing the conquest of inner enmity (rāga-dveṣa).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The excerpt signals a tīrtha’s extraordinary influence, but the specific place-name is not stated in this verse alone.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes a sign (lakṣaṇa) of sanctity—natural enemies behaving without violence.