Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

तेषां तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा ततोंऽबा कृपयान्विता । हत्वा पादप्रहारेण भूमिं चक्रे गुहां ततः

Transliteration

teṣāṃ tadvacanaṃ śrutvā tatoṃ'bā kṛpayānvitā | hatvā pādaprahāreṇa bhūmiṃ cakre guhāṃ tataḥ

Translation

Als die Mutter Ambā ihre Worte vernahm, von Mitgefühl bewegt, schlug sie mit dem Fuß auf die Erde und ließ dort sogleich eine Höhle entstehen.

Word by Word

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे (सामान्यतः), षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (वचनम्) — ‘that’

• vacanam: speech/words
• vacanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त — ‘having heard’

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘then/thereafter’

• ambā: Ambā (the mother/goddess)
• ambā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ambā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kṛpayā-anvitā: filled with compassion
• kṛpayā-anvitā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛpā (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (√i/√vṛ?; ‘anvita’ as prātipadika from anu-√i/anu-√vṛt; here adjectival)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘कृपया अन्विता’ = ‘endowed with compassion’; विशेषण (अम्बा)

• hatvā: having struck
• hatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √han (हन् धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त — ‘having struck/killed’ (context: struck)

• pāda-prahāreṇa: with a kick
• pāda-prahāreṇa: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + prahāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘पादेन प्रहारा’/‘पादस्य प्रहारा’ = ‘by a kick/foot-strike’

• bhūmim: the ground/earth
• bhūmim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• cakre: made/created
• cakre: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• guhām: a cave
• guhām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tataḥ: thereupon
• tataḥ: Kāla/Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Temporal/locative adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘thereupon/from that’

Speaker

Sūta (continued narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ambā-guhā (cave created by Ambā; implied)

Type: cave

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ambā, compassionate yet powerful, stamps/strikes the earth with her foot; the ground opens into a newly formed cave. Brāhmaṇas watch in awe, grief turning to hope.

Characters & Entities

• Ambā/Ambāvṛddhā
• Guhā (cave)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine compassion responds to sincere, humble petition and manifests tangible protection in sacred space.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sacred cave-site formed by Ambāvṛddhā within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite is stated; the narrative emphasizes compassionate divine intervention following devotees’ worship and plea.