Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

कर्णस्थौ हि महानागौ कंबलाश्वतरौ तदा । वासुकिः सर्पराजश्च कृताहारो महाद्युति

Transliteration

karṇasthau hi mahānāgau kaṃbalāśvatarau tadā | vāsukiḥ sarparājaśca kṛtāhāro mahādyuti

Translation

Naquele tempo, duas grandes serpentes—Kambala e Aśvatara—estavam postas em suas orelhas; e Vāsuki, rei das serpentes, radiante e bem nutrido, também o adornava.

Word by Word

• karṇa-sthau: situated at the ears
• karṇa-sthau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (karṇayoḥ sthau) (nominative dual masculine adjective)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• mahā-nāgau: two great serpents
• mahā-nāgau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + nāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; कर्मधारयः (mahā ca tau nāgau) (nominative dual)

• kaṃbala-aśvatarau: Kambala and Aśvatara
• kaṃbala-aśvatarau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṃbala (प्रातिपदिक) + aśvatara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (kaṃbalaś ca aśvataraś ca) (nominative dual)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• vāsukiḥ: Vāsuki
• vāsukiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsuki (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (nominative singular)

• sarpa-rājaḥ: king of serpents
• sarpa-rājaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarpa (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (sarpāṇāṃ rājā) (nominative singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kṛta-āhāraḥ: having eaten / having taken food
• kṛta-āhāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृ, क्त-कृदन्त) + āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भावः (kṛtaḥ āhāraḥ yasya) (nominative singular masculine adjective: 'having taken food')

• mahā-dyutiḥ: of great splendor
• mahā-dyutiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + dyuti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (mahā dyutiḥ) (nominative singular masculine adjective)

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa by section convention)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva adorned with two great serpents as ear-ornaments—Kambala and Aśvatara—while Vāsuki, radiant and robust, appears as a further nāga-adornment, emphasizing divine luminosity and controlled power.

Characters & Entities

• Kambala
• Aśvatara
• Vāsuki
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s ornaments symbolize mastery over fear and death; even serpents become sacred adornments in his presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The iconographic darśana is narrated within Kedārakhaṇḍa, part of Kedāra’s Mahātmya tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse provides devotional imagery for remembrance and contemplation.