Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

एवमुक्ता तदा धेनुर्वसिष्ठेन महात्मना । कोपाविष्टा ततश्चक्रे हुंकारान्दारुणांस्तथा

Transliteration

evamuktā tadā dhenurvasiṣṭhena mahātmanā | kopāviṣṭā tataścakre huṃkārāndāruṇāṃstathā

Translation

Так наставленная великодушным Васиштхой, священная корова, охваченная гневом, издала свирепые и страшные мычания.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• उक्ता: having been spoken to
• उक्ता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• धेनुः: the cow
• धेनुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वसिष्ठेन: by Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• महात्मना: by the great-souled (one)
• महात्मना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् आत्मा यस्य)

• कोपाविष्टा: possessed by anger
• कोपाविष्टा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोप + आविष्ट (आ-विश् धातु + क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कोपेन आविष्टा)

• ततः: thereupon
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (ablatival adverb: from that/thereupon)

• चक्रे: made/uttered
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• हुंकारान्: roars/huṃ-sounds
• हुंकारान्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हुंकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• दारुणान्: terrible
• दारुणान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (हुंकारान्)

• तथा: also/likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: likewise/so)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; specific speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The cow, eyes blazing, stamps the earth and releases a terrifying huṃkāra; the air ripples as if the sound itself is a weapon, with dust and light swirling outward.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Nandinī (divine cow)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred power aligned with dharma responds decisively when righteousness is threatened; tapas and divine guardianship are portrayed as protective forces.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework, but the specific tīrtha name is not stated in this isolated shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed in this verse; it is narrative setup.