Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे धूमः प्रादुर्भूतः समंततः । तादृग्येन तमोभूतं वेदिमूलं विनिर्मितम्

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare dhūmaḥ prādurbhūtaḥ samaṃtataḥ | tādṛgyena tamobhūtaṃ vedimūlaṃ vinirmitam

Translation

Inzwischen erhob sich Rauch ringsum; und durch seine Dichte wurde der Fuß des Altars (vedi) gleichsam in Dunkel gehüllt.

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अन्तरे: in the meantime; in the interval
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; 'in the interval'

• धूमः: smoke
• धूमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• प्रादुर्भूतः: appeared; manifested
• प्रादुर्भूतः: Kriya (State/Result)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु) + प्रादुस् (उपसर्गवत् अव्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'having appeared'

• समन्ततः: on all sides
• समन्ततः: Adhikarana (Spatial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) = 'on all sides'

• तादृग्येन: by such a manner/appearance
• तादृग्येन: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तादृग्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/हेतु-भाव

• तमः-भूतम्: turned into darkness; darkened
• तमः-भूतम्: Karma/Pratipadyamana (Describing result)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण = 'become darkness'

• वेदी-मूलम्: the base of the altar
• वेदी-मूलम्: Adhikarana/Karma (Location described)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेदी (प्रातिपदिक) + मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'at the base of the altar'

• विनिर्मितम्: was produced; was formed
• विनिर्मितम्: Kriya (Resultant state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मा (धातु) + वि + निर् (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'was formed/produced'

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; specific speaker not stated in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Interlocutor in māhātmya frame (not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Thick smoke billows everywhere, turning the base of the altar into a darkness-like shroud; figures and ritual objects become silhouettes.

Characters & Entities

• Dhūma (smoke)
• Vedi (altar)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darkness can be created even in sacred spaces when motives are impure—an image for how adharma clouds perception.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; it is part of a broader Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No prescription; it narrates the physical effect of smoke enveloping the altar area.