Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

अहं पुष्पशरो लोके प्रसिद्धश्चारुहासिनि । विडंबनां मया नीता देवा अपि निजैः शरैः

Transliteration

ahaṃ puṣpaśaro loke prasiddhaścāruhāsini | viḍaṃbanāṃ mayā nītā devā api nijaiḥ śaraiḥ

Translation

ഹേ മധുരഹാസിനി! ഞാൻ ലോകത്തിൽ ‘പുഷ്പശരൻ’ (കാമദേവൻ) എന്ന പേരിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധൻ. എന്റെ തന്നെ ബാണങ്ങളാൽ ദേവന്മാരും പരിഹാസത്തിലും മോഹത്തിലും ആക്കപ്പെട്ടു।

Word by Word

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम (1st person pronoun), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुष्पशरः: the flower-arrowed one (Kāma)
• पुष्पशरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प + शर (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘पुष्पाणि शराः यस्य/पुष्पमयः शरः’ (नाम)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रसिद्धः: well-known
• प्रसिद्धः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + सिद्ध (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त-आधारित विशेषण, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘ख्यातः’

• च: and
• च: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• चारुहासिनि: O lovely-smiling one
• चारुहासिनि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चारु + हासिन् (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सुन्दरहासयुक्ते’ (address)

• विडम्बनाम्: mockery / humiliation
• विडम्बनाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विडम्बना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• नीता: was brought about / inflicted
• नीता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु) → नीत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः—‘कृता/प्रापिता’

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (also/even)

• निजैः: with their own
• निजैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• शरैः: arrows
• शरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Kāma (Puṣpaśara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kāma, radiant and youthful, holds a floral bow and speaks proudly to the smiling woman, describing how even gods fall to his flower-arrows.

Characters & Entities

• Kāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Desire can overwhelm even exalted beings; therefore restraint and dharma-guided conduct are essential.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework; the immediate line itself is narrative and does not name a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) appears in this verse.