Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

गगनं व्यापयन्सूर्यः संतापयति मां भृशम् । बाह्ये चाभ्यंतरे कामः कथं वक्ष्यामि जीवितम्

Transliteration

gaganaṃ vyāpayansūryaḥ saṃtāpayati māṃ bhṛśam | bāhye cābhyaṃtare kāmaḥ kathaṃ vakṣyāmi jīvitam

Translation

天を覆う太陽は、我を激しく焼き尽くす。欲は外にも内にも我を責め立てる——いかで生き長らえることを語れよう。

Word by Word

• gaganam: the sky
• gaganam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gagana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• vyāpayan: pervading, filling
• vyāpayan: Karta (Agent qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + ā + pṛ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त/Present active participle); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (sūryaḥ)

• sūryaḥ: the sun
• sūryaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• saṃtāpayati: torments, heats
• saṃtāpayati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + tap (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्गः सम्

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• bhṛśam: excessively, greatly
• bhṛśam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhṛśam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• bāhye: externally, on the outside
• bāhye: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/सप्तमी-एकवचन (locative singular used adverbially); ‘बाह्ये (स्थाने)’

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

• abhyantare: internally, within
• abhyantare: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhyantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/सप्तमी-एकवचन (locative singular used adverbially); ‘अभ्यन्तरे (स्थाने)’

• kāmaḥ: desire, passion
• kāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• katham: how
• katham: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• vakṣyāmi: shall I speak, shall I tell
• vakṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• jīvitam: life, livelihood
• jīvitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (unnamed male speaker within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A traveler/lover stands under a blazing sun filling the sky; sweat and heat-haze surround him while his face shows inner agitation—desire as an invisible flame.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāma becomes a fire that consumes body and mind; liberation begins with restraint and turning the heart toward the sacred.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this shloka; it is part of the larger tīrthamāhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.