Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

तासां निदेशयामास स्वयमेव शतक्रतुः । एतद्बीजं त्रिनेत्रस्य परिपाल्यं प्रयत्नतः

Transliteration

tāsāṃ nideśayāmāsa svayameva śatakratuḥ | etadbījaṃ trinetrasya paripālyaṃ prayatnataḥ

Translation

അപ്പോൾ സ്വയം ശതക്രതു (ഇന്ദ്രൻ) അവരോട് നിർദ്ദേശിച്ചു—“ത്രിനേത്രനായ പ്രഭുവിന്റെ ഈ ബീജം അത്യന്തം പരിശ്രമത്തോടെ സംരക്ഷിക്കണം।”

Word by Word

• तासाम्: of them
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• निदेशयामास: instructed
• निदेशयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√दिश् (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिजन्त = 'instructed/ordered'

• स्वयम्: personally
• स्वयम्: Karta (Emphatic agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = 'oneself/personally'

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) = emphatic particle 'indeed/only'

• शतक्रतुः: Śatakratu (Indra)
• शतक्रतुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śatakratu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; इन्द्रस्य नाम

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बीजम् इति विशेषणम्

• बीजम्: seed
• बीजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bīja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• त्रिनेत्रस्य: of the three-eyed (Śiva)
• त्रिनेत्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्या) + नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (त्रीणि नेत्राणि यस्य सः = the three-eyed one, i.e., Śiva)

• परिपाल्यम्: should be protected
• परिपाल्यम्: Kriya (Obligation predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-√पाल् (धातु) + यत् (gerundive)
• Form: तव्य/यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भाव्य/कर्तव्यता), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-भावः = 'to be protected/should be guarded'

• प्रयत्नतः: carefully
• प्रयत्नतः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त) = adverb; 'with effort/carefully'

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; explicit speaker not stated in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śarastamba (Trinetra-bīja-rakṣaṇa-sthala)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, authoritative yet reverent, instructs the six Kṛttikās to guard the seed of the Three-eyed Lord; the seed is depicted as a radiant, contained orb near the reeds.

Characters & Entities

• Śatakratu (Indra)
• Trinetra (Śiva)
• Ṣaṭkṛttikāḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes vigilant protection of what is sacred and destined for the welfare of the worlds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction occurs within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s tīrtha-centered narrative; the precise site-name is not contained in this verse alone.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed; the verse emphasizes protective duty (paripālana) as dharma.