Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

क्रीडंति नकुलाः सर्पैरूलूका यत्र वायसैः । मूषकैर्वृषदंशाश्च द्वीपिनो विविधैर्मृगैः

Transliteration

krīḍaṃti nakulāḥ sarpairūlūkā yatra vāyasaiḥ | mūṣakairvṛṣadaṃśāśca dvīpino vividhairmṛgaiḥ

Translation

Ali, as mangustos brincavam com as serpentes; as corujas com os corvos; os ratos com as criaturas chamadas vṛṣadaṃśa; e até os leopardos com diversos veados — as inimizades aquietavam-se naquele recinto sagrado.

Word by Word

• क्रीडन्ति: play / sport
• क्रीडन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्रीड् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• नकुलाः: mongooses
• नकुलाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सर्पैः: with snakes
• सर्पैः: Sahakari/Karana (सहकारी/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• उलूकाः: owls
• उलूकाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उलूक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Desha/Adhikarana (देश/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक-सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb of place: 'where')

• वायसैः: with crows
• वायसैः: Sahakari/Karana (सहकारी/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• मूषकैः: with mice
• मूषकैः: Sahakari/Karana (सहकारी/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूषक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• वृषदंशाः: (lit.) bull-biters; a kind of creature (e.g., large lizards/biting animals)
• वृषदंशाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषदंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• द्वीपिनः: leopards/tigers (striped/spotted beasts)
• द्वीपिनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वीपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• विविधैः: various
• विविधैः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (adjective)

• मृगैः: with deer/animals
• मृगैः: Sahakari/Karana (सहकारी/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in a māhātmya frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene sacred precinct where natural predators and prey mingle playfully—mongoose with serpent, owl with crow, leopard with deer—under a calm, luminous atmosphere suggesting the tirtha’s pacifying power.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In the field of tapas and dharma, hostility subsides—sacred power manifests as peace even among natural enemies.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse glorifies the sanctified āśrama-region within Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya; the exact tīrtha name is not given here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it communicates the spiritual potency of the place through a sign (lakṣaṇa) of universal non-violence.