Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

यत्र शक्रसमादेशात्पूरितं पांसुभिः पुरा । संवर्तकेन रौद्रेण वायुना तीर्थमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

yatra śakrasamādeśātpūritaṃ pāṃsubhiḥ purā | saṃvartakena raudreṇa vāyunā tīrthamuttamam

Translation

C’est là qu’autrefois, sur l’ordre de Śakra, ce tīrtha suprême fut rempli de poussière par le vent farouche Saṃvartaka, le vent de la fin du monde.

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक

• शक्रसमादेशात्: due to Indra’s command
• शक्रसमादेशात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र-समादेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शक्रस्य समादेशः); हेत्वर्थे

• पूरितम्: was filled
• पूरितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूर्/पॄ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः

• पांसुभिः: with dust/sand
• पांसुभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पांसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; करणम्

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषणम्

• संवर्तकेन: by the world-ending (cataclysmic)
• संवर्तकेन: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संवर्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वायुना)

• रौद्रेण: fierce, terrible
• रौद्रेण: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वायुना)

• वायुना: by the wind
• वायुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देशः (agent/instrument)

• तीर्थम्: the sacred place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तीर्थम्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the Ṛṣis (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara tīrtha

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred waterbody or ford is overwhelmed by swirling dust; Indra (Śakra) in the sky issues command; the Saṃvartaka wind is personified as a fierce force, yet the tīrtha’s sanctity glows beneath the covering.

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Saṃvartaka Vāyu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when a tīrtha is hidden or obstructed by cosmic forces, its sanctity remains, guarded within divine order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘supreme tīrtha’ of this adhyāya, later connected with Hāṭakeśvara/Acaleśvara in the same narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated; this verse provides a mythic account of the tīrtha being covered.