Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

अथ तस्य समालोक्य रूपं गात्रसमुद्भवम् । अदृष्टपूर्वं तापस्यः सर्वाः कामवशं गताः

Transliteration

atha tasya samālokya rūpaṃ gātrasamudbhavam | adṛṣṭapūrvaṃ tāpasyaḥ sarvāḥ kāmavaśaṃ gatāḥ

Translation

Then, beholding his bodily beauty—unseen before—the women ascetics all fell under the sway of desire.

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, आरम्भ/अनन्तर (now/then)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• samālokya: having looked at
• samālokya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ā-lok (धातु) + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यबन्त अव्यय (gerund)

• rūpam: form, appearance
• rūpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• gātrasamudbhavam: arising from the body
• gātrasamudbhavam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gātra (प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (gātrāt samudbhavam = arising from the limbs/body); विशेषण (qualifying rūpam)

• adṛṣṭapūrvam: never seen before
• adṛṣṭapūrvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-dṛṣṭa (कृदन्त) + pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (adṛṣṭaṃ pūrvam = never seen before); विशेषण (qualifying rūpam)

• tāpasyaḥ: female ascetics
• tāpasyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāpasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• sarvāḥ: all
• sarvāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying tāpasyaḥ)

• kāmavaśam: under desire's sway
• kāmavaśam: Gati/Karma (गति/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (kāmasya vaśam = under the control of desire)

• gatāḥ: went, became
• gatāḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) प्रयोगः; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; 'गम्' धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययः, भावे/स्थित्यर्थे (having gone/come to a state)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) — deductive attribution

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rudra’s extraordinary beauty captivates the women ascetics; their faces shift from composure to desire and astonishment, indicating an inner fall from restraint.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (implied)
• Tāpasyaḥ (women ascetics)
• Kāma (desire)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

External austerity is incomplete without inner mastery; the episode highlights vigilance over desire even in holy places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Nāgarakhaṇḍa āśrama-tīrtha where Śiva’s presence becomes a catalyst for spiritual testing and teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse conveys a psychological and ethical teaching within the tīrtha narrative.