Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

हृदयानि धरापृष्ठे कामदेवसमो युवा । काचिद्दृष्ट्वैव तद्रूपं तस्य सांबस्य कामिनी

Transliteration

hṛdayāni dharāpṛṣṭhe kāmadevasamo yuvā | kāciddṛṣṭvaiva tadrūpaṃ tasya sāṃbasya kāminī

Translation

บนพื้นพิภพมีหนุ่มผู้หนึ่งงามดุจพระกามเทพ; และสตรีผู้ถูกไฟรักครอบงำ เพียงได้เห็นรูปโฉมของสามพะนั้นก็หลงใหลทันที

Word by Word

• हृदयानि: hearts
• हृदयानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (contextually object of implied action 'harati/ākarṣati' etc.)

• धरापृष्ठे: on the surface of the earth
• धरापृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरापृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक: धरा + पृष्ठ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धरायाः पृष्ठे)

• कामदेवसमः: equal to Kāma(deva)
• कामदेवसमः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कामदेव + सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (कामदेवेन समः)

• युवा: a young man
• युवा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युवन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• काचित्: a certain woman
• काचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; अनिर्दिष्टा स्त्री (some woman)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: अव्ययभावे क्त्वा (Gerund); पूर्वक्रिया

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• तद्रूपम्: that form/beauty
• तद्रूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद्रूप (प्रातिपदिक: तद् + रूप)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (तत् रूपम्)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• साम्बस्य: of Sāmba
• साम्बस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, एकवचन

• कामिनी: a love-struck woman
• कामिनी: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कामिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Kāma-like youth (Sāmba) stands on earth, radiant; a woman becomes instantly love-stricken upon seeing his form, her gaze fixed and body drawn forward.

Characters & Entities

• Sāmba
• Kāmadeva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It warns how beauty can inflame desire instantly, implying the need for dhārmic restraint and higher orientation—often supplied in Purāṇas by tīrtha, vrata, and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya chapter, but it does not itself identify the tīrtha by name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.