Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

ततो रक्तत्वमभ्येति भगवान्मधुसूदनः । पापांशेऽपि च संप्राप्ते सस्पर्द्धो जायते जनः

Transliteration

tato raktatvamabhyeti bhagavānmadhusūdanaḥ | pāpāṃśe'pi ca saṃprāpte sasparddho jāyate janaḥ

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം ഭഗവാൻ മധുസൂദനൻ രക്തിമ (ദീപ്ത) ഭാവം സ്വീകരിക്കുന്നു; പാപത്തിന്റെ അംശം പോലും വന്നാൽ മനുഷ്യർ സ്പർധയോടെ (വൈരപൂർവ്വം) ജന്മിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = 'thereupon/then'

• raktatvam: redness; the state of being red
• raktatvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raktatva (प्रातिपदिक; rakta + -tva भावप्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; भाववाचक-संज्ञा

• abhyeti: approaches, attains
• abhyeti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √i (इ; धातु) उपसर्गः abhi-
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• madhusūdanaḥ: Madhusūdana (slayer of Madhu)
• madhusūdanaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhu + sūdana (प्रातिपदिक; √sūd (सू॒द्) 'to slay' + -ana)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मधोः सूदनः)

• pāpa-aṃśe: in a portion of sin; in sinful share
• pāpa-aṃśe: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa + aṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पापस्य अंशः)

• api: even, also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) = 'even/also'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक)

• saṃprāpte: when (it) has occurred/arrived
• saṃprāpte: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-√prāp (प्राप्; धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• sasparddhaḥ: competitive, rivalrous
• sasparddhaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa-sparddha (प्रातिपदिक; sa- उपसर्गार्थ 'with' + sparddhā)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• jāyate: is born, arises
• jāyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (जन्; धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• janaḥ: a person; people (a man)
• janaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Madhusūdana/Vishnu appearing with a reddish radiance (rakta-tejas) against a changing sky; nearby, humans begin to argue or compete, contrasted with devotees seeking refuge at the tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Madhusūdana
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even a small rise of adharma manifests socially as rivalry; hence dharma must be protected through devotion and discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it remains part of the broader Tīrthamāhātmya discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it prepares the ground for why yajñas and other dharmic acts become prominent.