Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एवं संभर्त्सिता तेन मेनका कोपसंयुता । शशाप तं मुनिश्रेष्ठं स्फुरमाणोष्ठसंपुटा

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | evaṃ saṃbhartsitā tena menakā kopasaṃyutā | śaśāpa taṃ muniśreṣṭhaṃ sphuramāṇoṣṭhasaṃpuṭā

Translation

Sūta sprach: So von ihm getadelt, erfüllte Menakā der Zorn; mit bebenden Lippen verfluchte sie jenen erhabensten der Weisen.

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• संभर्त्सिता: rebuked
• संभर्त्सिता: Visheshana (Predicate/attribute of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+भर्त्स् (धातु) → संभर्त्सित (कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• मेनका: Menakā
• मेनका: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेनका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कोपसंयुता: endowed with anger
• कोपसंयुता: Visheshana (Attribute of Menakā)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोप (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुत (कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कोपेन/कोपसहितेन संयुता); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• शशाप: cursed
• शशाप: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• मुनिश्रेष्ठम्: the best of sages
• मुनिश्रेष्ठम्: Karman (Object; apposition to तम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मुनिषु श्रेष्ठः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्फुरमाणोष्ठसंपुटा: she whose lips were quivering
• स्फुरमाणोष्ठसंपुटा: Visheshana (Attribute of Menakā)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्फुरमाण (कृदन्त-शतृ) + ओष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + संपुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (स्फुरमाणौ ओष्ठसंपुटौ यस्याः सा); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta narrator)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied purāṇic frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Menakā, eyes blazing, lips trembling, stands before a revered sage; the air is tense as the curse is uttered, with ascetic implements and a forest-hermitage backdrop.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Menakā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It shows how harsh speech and insult can trigger krodha (anger) leading to śāpa (curse), a recurring moral motif in Purāṇas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse itself is narrative setup; the tīrtha context lies in the surrounding chapter, not explicitly named here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is narrative transition (Sūta’s report).