Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एवमुक्त्वा सहस्राक्षस्ततः प्राप्तस्त्रिविष्टपम् । रक्तशृंगोऽपि तस्थौ च व्याप्य नागबिलं तदा

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | evamuktvā sahasrākṣastataḥ prāptastriviṣṭapam | raktaśṛṃgo'pi tasthau ca vyāpya nāgabilaṃ tadā

Translation

Sūta sprach: Nachdem er so gesprochen hatte, gelangte Sahasrākṣa (Indra) nach Triviṣṭapa (in den Himmel). Und auch Raktaśṛṅga blieb dort und erfüllte damals die Nāga-Höhle, sie ganz einnehmend.

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Avyaya (Manner adjunct/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb)

• उक्त्वा: having spoken
• उक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भाव (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having said’

• सहस्राक्षः: Sahasrākṣa (Indra)
• सहस्राक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्राक्ष (प्रातिपदिक: सहस्र + अक्ष)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि ‘one who has a thousand eyes’ (इन्द्र)

• ततः: then; from there
• ततः: Avyaya (Source/Time adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अपादान/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘from there/then’)

• प्राप्तः: arrived; reached
• प्राप्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘having reached/arrived’

• त्रिविष्टपम्: Triviṣṭapa (heaven)
• त्रिविष्टपम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिविष्टप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रक्तशृंगः: Raktaśṛṅga (the red-horned one)
• रक्तशृंगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्तशृंग (प्रातिपदिक: रक्त + शृंग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• तस्थौ: stood; remained
• तस्थौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

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

• व्याप्य: having pervaded; filling
• व्याप्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्याप् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भाव (Gerund), ‘having pervaded/occupying’

• नागबिलम्: the serpent-cave
• नागबिलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागबिल (प्रातिपदिक: नाग + बिल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तदा: then; at that time
• तदा: Avyaya (Time adjunct/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgabila

Type: cave

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates: Indra ascends to heaven; on earth, Raktaśṛṅga remains, spreading across the Nāga-cavern like a protective, pervasive force.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Indra (Sahasrākṣa)
• Triviṣṭapa
• Raktaśṛṅga
• Nāgabila (Nāga-cave)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is anchored in divine events—Indra’s visitation and the mountain’s sanctity establish the tīrtha’s enduring significance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Raktaśṛṅga and the Nāgabila (Nāga cave) connected to the Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is narrative transition identifying the celestial departure and the local sacred topography.