Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अस्माभिः शतशो दृष्टा द्वादशार्कसमप्रभाः । कामदेवसमाकारास्तेजोवीर्यसमायुताः

Transliteration

asmābhiḥ śataśo dṛṣṭā dvādaśārkasamaprabhāḥ | kāmadevasamākārāstejovīryasamāyutāḥ

Translation

நாங்கள் நூற்றுக்கணக்காகக் கண்டோம்—பன்னிரண்டு சூரியர்களைப் போல ஒளிவீசுவோர், காமதேவனைப் போன்ற அழகிய உருவத்தோர், தேஜஸும் வீர்யமும் நிறைந்தோர்.

Word by Word

• अस्माभिः: by us
• अस्माभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• शतशः: in hundreds; many times
• शतशः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक) + शस् (अव्ययप्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), प्रकारवाचक (manner/iteration): ‘by hundreds, repeatedly’

• दृष्टाः: were seen
• दृष्टाः: Karma (Object/कर्म) with implied passive predicate
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘seen’

• द्वादशार्क-सम-प्रभाः: having radiance equal to twelve suns
• द्वादशार्क-सम-प्रभाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण) of दृष्टाः
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्क (प्रातिपदिक) + सम (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + प्रभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास (तत्पुरुष: द्वादशार्कसमप्रभा = द्वादश अर्कैः समा प्रभा यस्य), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• कामदेव-सम-आकाराः: having a form like Kāma-deva
• कामदेव-सम-आकाराः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण) of दृष्टाः
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कामदेव (प्रातिपदिक) + सम (अव्यय) + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास (तत्पुरुष: कामदेवसमाकार = कामदेवेन समः आकारः यस्य), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• तेजः-वीर्य-सम-आयुताः: endowed with splendor and vigor
• तेजः-वीर्य-सम-आयुताः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण) of दृष्टाः
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक) + वीर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + सम् (उपसर्ग) + युज् (धातु) → आयुत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: समास (तत्पुरुष: तेजोवीर्यसमायुत = तेजसा वीर्येण च सम्यक् आयुत/युक्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण

Speaker

Brahmin sages

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṅkhatīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Assemblage of sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A crowd of pilgrims stands near a sacred waterbody, their bodies haloed with sun-like brilliance; faces serene, limbs strong, beauty likened to Kāma; the atmosphere is luminous and otherworldly.

Characters & Entities

• Kāmadeva
• Śaṅkhatīrtha (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-merit is depicted as transformative, restoring vitality and auspicious beauty as a sign of inner purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaṅkhatīrtha (the benefits described continue from the prior prescription).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not directly; this is a testimony (phalaśruti-style) describing the observable results of the tīrtha practice.