Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

तृतीयस्तिष्ठतेऽद्यापि रक्तशृंगः स्मृतोऽत्र यः । तमानय सहस्राक्ष बिलं सार्पं प्रपूरय

Transliteration

tṛtīyastiṣṭhate'dyāpi raktaśṛṃgaḥ smṛto'tra yaḥ | tamānaya sahasrākṣa bilaṃ sārpaṃ prapūraya

Translation

ഇവിടെ മൂന്നാമത്തേതും ഇന്നും നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു; അത് ‘രക്തശൃംഗം’ എന്നു സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. ഹേ സഹസ്രാക്ഷാ (ഇന്ദ്രാ)! അതിനെ കൊണ്ടുവന്ന് സർപ്പബിലം നിറയ്ക്കുക।

Word by Word

• तृतीयः: the third
• तृतीयः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• तिष्ठते: stands/remains
• तिष्ठते: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) → तिष्ठति (लट्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अद्यापि: even today/still
• अद्यापि: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य + अपि (अव्यय-समुच्चय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक

• रक्तशृंगः: Raktaśṛṅga
• रक्तशृंगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्त + शृङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय

• स्मृतः: is remembered/called
• स्मृतः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे विधेय (is remembered/called)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक

• यः: who/which
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• तम्: him/that (one)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• आनय: bring
• आनय: Kriyā (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + नी (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सहस्राक्ष: O thousand-eyed one (Indra)
• सहस्राक्ष: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र + अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (सहस्राणि अक्षाणि यस्य)

• बिलम्: cave/hole
• बिलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सार्पम्: serpentine/of snakes
• सार्पम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक) → सार्प (तद्धित-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (serpentine/related to snakes)

• प्रपूरय: fill completely
• प्रपूरय: Kriyā (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + पूर् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Unnamed narrator (instruction addressed to Indra within the story)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Raktśṛṅga

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śakra (Indra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Raktśṛṅga stands with a vivid red summit; Indra (thousand-eyed) is commanded to bring/position the mountain to fill a yawning serpent-cavern—dark, coiling forms hinted within the cave mouth.

Characters & Entities

• Raktaśṛṅga
• Sahasrākṣa (Indra)
• Nāga-bila (serpent cave)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred landscapes are protected through divinely guided acts; even Indra is enlisted to uphold the stability of a tīrtha-region.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nāga-bila (the serpent-cavern) within the Hāṭakeśvara sacred region is foregrounded.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No devotional rite; a mythic directive is given—bring Raktaśṛṅga to fill/close the Nāga-bila.