Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । भट्टिकाख्या पुरा प्रोक्ता या त्वया सूतनन्दन । कस्मात्तस्याः शरीरान्ताद्दंष्ट्रा नागसमुद्भवाः

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | bhaṭṭikākhyā purā proktā yā tvayā sūtanandana | kasmāttasyāḥ śarīrāntāddaṃṣṭrā nāgasamudbhavāḥ

Translation

Les sages dirent : « Ô fils de Sūta, tu as jadis mentionné une certaine Bhaṭṭikā. Pour quelle raison des crocs nés des nāgas surgirent-ils de l’extrémité de son corps ? »

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: the sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• भट्टिकाख्या: named Bhaṭṭikā
• भट्टिकाख्या: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भट्टिका (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘भट्टिकानाम्नी’ इति (named Bhaṭṭikā)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• प्रोक्ता: was told/declared
• प्रोक्ता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, Past Passive Participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘कथिता’

• या: who/which
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• सूतनन्दन: O son of the Sūta
• सूतनन्दन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक) + नन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; ‘सूतस्य नन्दन’

• कस्मात्: from what cause/why
• कस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (for what reason)

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• शरीरान्तात्: from the end/inside of the body
• शरीरान्तात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; ‘शरीरस्य अन्तः’

• दंष्ट्राः: fangs
• दंष्ट्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दंष्ट्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• नागसमुद्भवाः: snake-born
• नागसमुद्भवाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘नागेभ्यः समुद्भवाः’ (born from/produced by serpents)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūtanandana (Sūta’s son)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest hermitage assembly: rishis seated in a semicircle, addressing Sūta’s son with raised hands in inquiry; the narrative hint of a mysterious woman (Bhaṭṭikā) and serpent imagery suggested symbolically (nāga-hood motif on a manuscript margin).

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Sūtanandana (Sūta’s son)
• Bhaṭṭikā
• Nāgas
• Daṃṣṭrā (fangs)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Māhātmya narratives are preserved through inquiry and transmission—sages ask precise questions so the sacred cause-and-effect (nidāna) is clearly known.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This opening question introduces the next tīrtha-linked origin account (nidāna) within Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it functions as a narrative prompt initiating the explanation of Bhaṭṭikā and the Nāga-related phenomenon.