Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ततः संवर्तको वायुः शक्रादेशात्समंततः । तत्क्षेत्रं पूरयामास पांसुभिर्द्विजसत्तमाः

Transliteration

tataḥ saṃvartako vāyuḥ śakrādeśātsamaṃtataḥ | tatkṣetraṃ pūrayāmāsa pāṃsubhirdvijasattamāḥ

Translation

Alors, sur l’ordre d’Indra, le vent Saṃvartaka souffla de toutes parts et remplit ce champ sacré de poussière, ô le meilleur des deux-fois-nés.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्) = indeclinable adverb: "then"

• संवर्तकः: world-dissolving; Saṃvartaka
• संवर्तकः: Karta (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संवर्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वायुः इति विशेषणम्

• वायुः: wind
• वायुः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• शक्रादेशात्: by Indra’s command
• शक्रादेशात्: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र + आदेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः = शक्रस्य आदेशात् (ablative: by Indra's command)

• समन्ततः: on all sides
• समन्ततः: Adhikarana (Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषणम्) = "on all sides"

• तत्क्षेत्रम्: that region/field
• तत्क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः = तत् क्षेत्रम् (that field/region)

• पूरयामास: filled
• पूरयामास: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पूर् (धातु) (णिच्)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; causative stem पूरय-: "he/it filled"

• पांसुभिः: with dust; with sand
• पांसुभिः: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पांसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• द्विजसत्तमाः: O best of Brahmins
• द्विजसत्तमाः: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः = सत्तमाः द्विजाः (best of Brahmins)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara (tat-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-sattama (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A powerful windstorm sweeping across a sacred field; dust clouds rise and blanket the kṣetra, partially burying shrines/markers; Indra is shown above issuing command, while the landscape below disappears under swirling sand.

Characters & Entities

• Saṃvartaka Vāyu
• Indra
• Śakra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography in Purāṇas is shaped by divine actions, linking place, power, and cosmic administration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘tatkṣetra’ refers to the Hāṭakeśvara-associated sacred area described in this chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No human ritual is prescribed; a divine act (wind filling the kṣetra with dust) is narrated.