Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 148

Devanagari script

जलसर्पं समादाय सुदीर्घं भीषणाकृतिम् । लेलिहानं मुहुर्जिह्वां जरया परया वृतम्

Transliteration

jalasarpaṃ samādāya sudīrghaṃ bhīṣaṇākṛtim | lelihānaṃ muhurjihvāṃ jarayā parayā vṛtam

Translation

അത്യന്തം ദീർഘവും ഭീകരാകൃതിയുമുള്ള ഒരു ജലസർപ്പത്തെ എടുത്തുകൊണ്ട്—അതിന്റെ നാവ് ഇടയ്ക്കിടയ്ക്ക് ലേലിഹാനമായി ചലിക്കുകയും ദേഹം കഠിന ജരയാൽ മൂടപ്പെടുകയും ചെയ്തിരിക്കെ—അവൻ അതിനെ മുന്നിൽ നീട്ടി പിടിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• जलसर्पम्: a water-snake
• जलसर्पम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल-सर्प (प्रातिपदिक; जल + सर्प)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषार्थः (जलस्य/जले सर्पः = water-snake)

• समादाय: having taken
• समादाय: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive): ‘having taken up’

• सुदीर्घम्: very long
• सुदीर्घम्: Karma (कर्म) विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (जलसर्पम्)

• भीषणाकृतिम्: of terrifying form
• भीषणाकृतिम्: Karma (कर्म) विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भीषण-आकृति (प्रातिपदिक; भीषण + आकृति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (जलसर्पम्)

• लेलिहानम्: licking
• लेलिहानम्: Karma (कर्म) विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लिह् (धातु) → लेलिहान (कृदन्त, शतृ/वर्तमानकृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ) ‘licking’

• मुहुः: again and again
• मुहुः: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• जिह्वाम्: tongue
• जिह्वाम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जिह्वा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• जरया: by old age
• जरया: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• परया: extreme, great
• परया: Karana (करण) विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (जरया)

• वृतम्: covered, enveloped
• वृतम्: Karma (कर्म) विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृ (धातु) → वृत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘covered/enveloped’ (qualifying jalasarpaṃ)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A villain lifts a huge, terrifying water-serpent, its tongue flicking, body aged and rough, presenting it like a weapon before a festival crowd.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly terror and bodily decay are shown as objects to be witnessed—not feared—preparing the ground for the praise of yogic steadiness at a tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya (tīrtha-glorification context), but this single line does not name the site explicitly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse; it is narrative description setting up the mahātmya teaching.