Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । महाभयानां लोकस्य नागानां द्विजसत्तम । कथं जातं भयं तीव्रं येन ते तपसि स्थिताः

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | mahābhayānāṃ lokasya nāgānāṃ dvijasattama | kathaṃ jātaṃ bhayaṃ tīvraṃ yena te tapasi sthitāḥ

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira dit : Ô le meilleur des deux-fois-nés, comment naquit cette terrible crainte chez les Nāgas—terreur du monde—à cause de laquelle ils demeurèrent fermes dans l’austérité ?

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• महाभयानाम्: of great fears/terrors
• महाभयानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभय (प्रातिपदिक; महत् + भय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• लोकस्य: of the world
• लोकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• नागानाम्: of the nāgas (serpents)
• नागानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• द्विजसत्तम: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजसत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; द्विज + सत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• जातम्: arisen, born
• जातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• भयम्: fear
• भयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तीव्रम्: intense
• तीव्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीव्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• येन: by which, whereby
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ते: you (all)
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (सामान्य-प्रयोग), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तपसि: in austerity, in penance
• तपसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्थिताः: standing, abiding
• स्थिताः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a brāhmaṇa/ṛṣi addressed as dvijasattama

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, composed yet intent, questions a venerable brāhmaṇa/ṛṣi about the terrifying fear that compelled the Nāgas to undertake austerities; the setting suggests a riverbank hermitage with subtle nāga symbolism.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Nāgas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inquiry (jijñāsā) into sacred history is presented as the doorway to understanding tīrtha-greatness and dharmic causality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nāgatīrtha is the topic of the chapter; this verse begins the question that frames its māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is referenced as the Nāgas’ response, though no specific rite is prescribed yet.