Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

तथा चतुर्दशोनाम नरकोऽधोमुखः स्थितः । नरकाणां समस्तानामेष रौद्रतमाकृतिः

Transliteration

tathā caturdaśonāma narako'dhomukhaḥ sthitaḥ | narakāṇāṃ samastānāmeṣa raudratamākṛtiḥ

Translation

Ebenso ist die vierzehnte Hölle diejenige namens ‚Adhomukha‘ (Gesicht nach unten), wo man umgekehrt gehalten wird. Unter allen Höllen ist diese von schrecklichster Gestalt.

Word by Word

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण

• caturdaśaḥ: fourteenth
• caturdaśaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturdaśa (प्रातिपदिक; चतुर् + दश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-शब्दः (quotative)

• narakaḥ: hell (a hell)
• narakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• adho-mukhaḥ: face-down / downward-faced
• adho-mukhaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (adho mukhaḥ = downward-faced)

• sthitaḥ: situated / standing
• sthitaḥ: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/कर्मसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु) → sthita (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• narakāṇām: of the hells
• narakāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• samastānām: of all
• samastānām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• eṣaḥ: this (one)
• eṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• raudratama-ākṛtiḥ: a form of utmost ferocity
• raudratama-ākṛtiḥ: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate noun/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raudratama (प्रातिपदिक; raudra + tama) + ākṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (raudratamāyāḥ ākṛtiḥ = form of the most terrible)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast infernal grove where bodies hang inverted; the landscape itself feels upside-down, with ominous flames and attendants enforcing the posture.

Characters & Entities

• Adhomukha (name of a naraka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma culminates in states of profound suffering; the Purāṇa underscores fear of wrongdoing to protect dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in this verse; it is part of a broader māhātmya discourse using naraka-descriptions as deterrence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated here; the verse identifies and characterizes a particular naraka.