Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

आत्मनः शापरक्षार्थं तस्याः कोपविवृद्धये । कलिप्रियस्तदा विप्रो देवस्त्रीणां पुरः स्थितः

Transliteration

ātmanaḥ śāparakṣārthaṃ tasyāḥ kopavivṛddhaye | kalipriyastadā vipro devastrīṇāṃ puraḥ sthitaḥ

Translation

स्वतःला शापापासून वाचवण्यासाठी आणि तिचा कोप अधिक वाढवण्यासाठी, तेव्हा कलिप्रिय ब्राह्मण देवस्त्रियांच्या समोर उभा राहिला।

Word by Word

• ātmanaḥ: of himself
• ātmanaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• śāparakṣārtham: for the protection from the curse
• śāparakṣārtham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa-rakṣā-artha (प्रातिपदिक; शाप + रक्षा + अर्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; प्रयोजन (purpose; ‘for the sake of’)

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• kopavivṛddhaye: for the increase of (her) anger
• kopavivṛddhaye: Sampradana (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kopa-vivṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक; कोप + विवृद्धि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन (for increase)

• kalipriyaḥ: fond of Kali (age/being)
• kalipriyaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kali-priya (प्रातिपदिक; कलि + प्रिय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (vipraḥ)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Sambandha (Time adjunct/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• vipraḥ: a brāhmaṇa
• vipraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता

• devastrīṇām: of the divine women
• devastrīṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva-strī (प्रातिपदिक; देव + स्त्री)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• puraḥ: in front
• puraḥ: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puraḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb of place: ‘in front’)

• sthitaḥ: stood
• sthitaḥ: Kriya (State predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृवाच्य-विशेषण (standing)

Speaker

Sūta (narrating)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kalipriya, a Brahmin with anxious eyes, stands before a circle of celestial women; his posture is defensive yet provocative, as if fanning a fire of anger while shielding himself.

Characters & Entities

• Kalipriya
• devastriyaḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-protection that manipulates others’ anger is portrayed as ethically fraught; dharma favors truth and restraint over provocation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage continues within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya framework of Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates interpersonal motives around the sacred gathering rather than prescribing a rite.