Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

ज्ञात्वा रुद्रमसंतुष्टं ततो रौद्रं तपोऽकरोत् । विनिष्कृत्त्यात्ममांसानि जुहोतिस्म हुताशने

Transliteration

jñātvā rudramasaṃtuṣṭaṃ tato raudraṃ tapo'karot | viniṣkṛttyātmamāṃsāni juhotisma hutāśane

Translation

Knowing that Rudra was not yet pleased, he then performed a dreadful austerity: cutting off pieces of his own flesh, he offered them into the sacrificial fire.

Word by Word

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; धातु: ज्ञा; पूर्वकालक्रिया (having known)

• रुद्रम्: Rudra (Śiva)
• रुद्रम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• असंतुष्टम्: unsatisfied, displeased
• असंतुष्टम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-संतुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; संतुष् धातु-निष्पन्न कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying रुद्रम्)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/क्रमवाचक (then/thereupon)

• रौद्रम्: fierce, terrible
• रौद्रम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying तपः)

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अकरोत्: did, performed
• अकरोत्: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• विनिष्कृत्य: having cut out, having extracted
• विनिष्कृत्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-निष्-कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; धातु: वि-निष्-कृ; पूर्वकालक्रिया (having cut out/removed)

• आत्ममांसानि: his own flesh (pieces)
• आत्ममांसानि: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आत्मनः मांसानि = one's own flesh pieces)

• जुहोति: offers (into fire)
• जुहोति: Kriya (with स्म indicating past habitual)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हु (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• स्म: indeed/used to (past marker)
• स्म: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्म (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्म-प्रयोगः (past/habitual marker with verb)

• हुताशने: in the fire (Agni)
• हुताशने: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हुताशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone ascetic-asura before a blazing homa-fire, body marked by wounds, offering pieces of flesh into the flames; the sky darkens with raudra energy, yet a subtle Śiva-liṅga aura or trident-sign appears as the tapas peaks.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Agni
• Tāraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It highlights the extreme intensity asuras may adopt for boons, contrasting outer severity with the deeper question of dharmic intention.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The austerity continues in the Gokarṇa tīrtha context established earlier in the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Homa-like offering into Agni is mentioned (offering into hutāśana), though described here as an extreme ascetic act rather than a normative rite.