Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

नागवृक्षं तथा नागाः सिद्धाः कंकोलकं द्रुमम् । गुह्यकाः पनसं चैव किन्नरा मरिचं श्रिताः

Transliteration

nāgavṛkṣaṃ tathā nāgāḥ siddhāḥ kaṃkolakaṃ drumam | guhyakāḥ panasaṃ caiva kinnarā maricaṃ śritāḥ

Translation

Les Nāgas demeurent dans l’arbre nāga ; les Siddhas dans l’arbre kaṃkolaka. Les Guhyakas habitent le jacquier, et les Kinnaras prennent refuge dans la plante marica (poivre).

Word by Word

• नागवृक्षम्: nāga-tree (a specific tree)
• नागवृक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग + वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नागस्य वृक्षः)

• तथा: likewise, and
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अनुक्रमसूचक (and/likewise)

• नागाः: Nāgas (serpent-beings)
• नागाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• सिद्धाः: Siddhas (perfected beings)
• सिद्धाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• कंकोलकम्: kankolaka (a spice/plant)
• कंकोलकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कंकोलक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• द्रुमम्: tree
• द्रुमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• गुह्यकाः: Guhyakas (yakṣa-attendants)
• गुह्यकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुह्यक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• पनसम्: jackfruit tree
• पनसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पनस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeed/just)

• किन्नराः: Kinnaras (celestial beings)
• किन्नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किन्नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• मरिचम्: black pepper
• मरिचम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरिच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• श्रिताः: have resorted to / dwell in
• श्रिताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘आश्रित’ = having resorted to

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grove where a nāga-tree is guarded by serpent beings; siddhas appear as luminous ascetics near a kaṃkolaka tree; guhyakas as hidden guardians in a jackfruit tree; kinnaras as half-celestial musicians near pepper vines.

Characters & Entities

• Nāgas
• Siddhas
• Guhyakas
• Kinnaras
• Nāga-tree
• Kaṃkolaka
• Panasa (jackfruit)
• Marica (black pepper)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The world of the tīrtha is multi-layered: trees and plants are portrayed as seats of subtle beings, encouraging reverence toward nature as sacred.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya, the glorification is of the tīrtha-landscape itself—its sacred flora—rather than a single named location in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the implied dharma is non-harm and honoring such trees/plants as spiritually inhabited.