Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

यष्टीमधु समाश्रित्य कन्दर्पोऽभूद्व्यवस्थितः । रक्तांजनं महावृक्षं वह्निराश्रित्य तिष्ठति

Transliteration

yaṣṭīmadhu samāśritya kandarpo'bhūdvyavasthitaḥ | raktāṃjanaṃ mahāvṛkṣaṃ vahnirāśritya tiṣṭhati

Translation

യഷ്ടീമധു സസ്യത്തെ ആശ്രയിച്ച് കന്ദർപ്പൻ (കാമദേവൻ) അവിടെ സ്ഥാപിതനാകുന്നു. വഹ്നി (അഗ്നി) രക്താഞ്ജന മഹാവൃക്ഷത്തെ ആശ്രയിച്ച് നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു.

Word by Word

• यष्टीमधु: licorice (yaṣṭimadhu)
• यष्टीमधु: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यष्टी + मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यष्टी-सम्बन्धि मधु)

• समाश्रित्य: having resorted to
• समाश्रित्य: Kriya (Adverbial action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-आ-श्रि (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्यय (gerund); ‘having resorted to’

• कन्दर्पः: Kandarpa (Cupid)
• कन्दर्पः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्दर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• अभूत्: became
• अभूत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (अorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• व्यवस्थितः: well-established, stationed
• व्यवस्थितः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-अव-स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः; ‘well-established/settled’

• रक्ताञ्जनम्: red collyrium / red anjana tree
• रक्ताञ्जनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्त + अञ्जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (रक्तम् अञ्जनम्)

• महावृक्षम्: great tree
• महावृक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् वृक्षः)

• वह्निः: Agni (fire)
• वह्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• आश्रित्य: having resorted to
• आश्रित्य: Kriya (Adverbial action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-श्रि (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्यय (gerund); ‘having resorted to’

• तिष्ठति: stands, remains
• तिष्ठति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kandarpa subtly enthroned within a yaṣṭīmadhu plant—gentle, fragrant, springlike; nearby Agni rises from/within a towering raktāṃjana tree, flames and red hues merging with bark and leaves.

Characters & Entities

• Kandarpa (Kāma)
• Vahni (Agni)
• Yaṣṭīmadhu (licorice)
• Raktāṃjana tree

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrthas sacralize the natural world: even desire (Kāma) and fire (Agni) are envisioned as residing within specific plants and trees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the broader tīrtha-māhātmya of the Nāgara-khaṇḍa by detailing sacred flora; the specific place-name is not stated in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is given here; it provides contemplative knowledge (smṛti) for worship and respectful conduct toward these plants/trees.