Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

ततोऽभूत्सुमहद्युद्धं देवानां दानवैः सह । कोपसंरक्तनेत्राणां मृत्युं कृत्वा निवर्तनम्

Transliteration

tato'bhūtsumahadyuddhaṃ devānāṃ dānavaiḥ saha | kopasaṃraktanetrāṇāṃ mṛtyuṃ kṛtvā nivartanam

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം ദേവന്മാരും ദാനവന്മാരും തമ്മിൽ മഹായുദ്ധം ഉണ്ടായി. കോപത്തിൽ ചുവന്ന കണ്ണുകളോടെ അവർ മരണത്തെയേ പ്രവർത്തിയായി ചെയ്ത് മാത്രമേ പിന്മാറിയുള്ളൂ।

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) “then/thereupon”

• अभूत्: arose, happened
• अभूत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुमहत्: very great
• सुमहत्: Karta (कर्ता) (qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (अव्यय-उपसर्ग/उपपद) + महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; युद्धम् इति विशेषणम्

• युद्धम्: battle
• युद्धम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• दानवैः: with the demons (Dānavas)
• दानवैः: Sahakari/Karana (सहकारी/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahartha (सहार्थ/Association)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (postposition) “with”; तृतीया-सहयोगे

• कोपसंरक्तनेत्राणाम्: of those whose eyes were reddened with anger
• कोपसंरक्तनेत्राणाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोप (प्रातिपदिक) + संरक्त (सम्-रञ्ज् धातु, क्त) + नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (eyes reddened by anger); बहुव्रीह्यर्थे विशेषणवत्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग? (नेत्र-शब्दः नपुंसक), षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; देवानाम्/दानवैः इत्यादीनां विशेषण-सम्बन्धः

• मृत्युम्: death
• मृत्युम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive) “having made/done”

• निवर्तनम्: turning back, retreat
• निवर्तनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवर्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृत्वा इत्यस्य कर्म (what was made)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from immediate narrative context; explicit from v.23 onward)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Camatkārapura (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast mêlée of devas and dānavas; faces fierce, eyes reddened; chariots and elephants collide as death becomes the ‘craft’ of warriors.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Dānavas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked wrath turns even divine conflict into a commerce of death; dharma requires restraint even amid necessary battle.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya stream that soon references Camatkārapura and its environs, framing the battle as part of that sacred-region narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse; it is narrative context leading into the site’s māhātmya.