Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

ऊर्ध्वरेतास्ततस्तस्मिन्ससर्जादौ दधार तत् । वीर्यं वह्निमुखे चैव सोत्पपात गृहाद्बहिः

Transliteration

ūrdhvaretāstatastasminsasarjādau dadhāra tat | vīryaṃ vahnimukhe caiva sotpapāta gṛhādbahiḥ

Translation

แล้วพระผู้เป็นเจ้า ผู้ทรงรักษาพลังไว้เบื้องบน ได้ทรงปลดปล่อยพลังนั้น; ในกาลแรกทรงประคองไว้ และพลังนั้นถูกวางไว้ในพระโอษฐ์ของพระอัคนี ครั้นแล้วพระองค์ก็ผุดพุ่งออกจากเรือนไปสู่ภายนอก

Word by Word

• ऊर्ध्वरेताः: one whose semen is upward (continent)
• ऊर्ध्वरेताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऊर्ध्व + रेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular masculine; बहुव्रीहिः (यस्य रेतः ऊर्ध्वम्)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (then/from that)

• तस्मिन्: in him/therein
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular pronoun

• ससर्ज: he emitted/created
• ससर्ज: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्ण), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Perfect, 3rd person singular; परस्मैपद

• आदौ: at first/in the beginning
• आदौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूत (adverbial locative)

• दधार: he held/bore
• दधार: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Perfect, 3rd person singular; परस्मैपद

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular pronoun

• वीर्यम्: semen/potency
• वीर्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• वह्निमुखे: in the mouth of Agni
• वह्निमुखे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वह्नेः मुखे)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphasis)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular pronoun

• उत्पपात: leapt up/went out
• उत्पपात: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + पत् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Imperfect, 3rd person singular; परस्मैपद

• गृहात्: from the house
• गृहात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Ablative singular

• बहिः: outside
• बहिः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहिः (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: outside)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Maheśvara, the ūrdhvaretas Lord, emits blazing potency; Agni receives it into his mouth as a contained sphere of light; immediately Agni (still in dove-body or as Agni) bursts out from the house to the open outside, carrying the tejas.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Ūrdhvaretā)
• Agni (Vahni)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power is governed by cosmic order and entrusted to fitting carriers; even sacred energy moves through appointed channels.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it narrates a mythic event within the chapter’s sacred-geography frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse describes the transfer of vīrya to Agni, a common Purāṇic motif linked to ritual fire symbolism.