Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

स्कन्दोऽपि तां समादाय शक्तिं तत्र पुरोत्तमे । स्थापयामास येनैव रक्तशृंगोऽभवद्दृढः

Transliteration

skando'pi tāṃ samādāya śaktiṃ tatra purottame | sthāpayāmāsa yenaiva raktaśṛṃgo'bhavaddṛḍhaḥ

Translation

สกันทะก็รับเอาศักติ (หอกศักดิ์สิทธิ์) นั้น แล้วสถาปนาไว้ ณ นครอันประเสริฐนั้น; ด้วยการกระทำนั้นเอง รักตศฤงคะจึงมั่นคงไม่หวั่นไหว

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• ताम्: that (her/it)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• समादाय: having taken
• समादाय: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+आ+दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive); having taken up

• शक्तिम्: the spear/śakti
• शक्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• पुरोत्तमे: in the excellent city
• पुरोत्तमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरोत्तम (प्रातिपदिक: पुर + उत्तम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular (in the best city)

• स्थापयामास: he established/placed
• स्थापयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; causative stem स्थापय-; Perfect, 3rd singular

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular (by which)

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

• रक्तशृङ्गः: Raktaśṛṅga
• रक्तशृङ्गः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्त + शृङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (name)

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Imperfect, 3rd singular

• दृढः: firm/steadfast
• दृढः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृढ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Predicate adjective qualifying रक्तशृङ्गः

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from the narration; explicit from v.23 onward)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Raktaśṛṅga (associated with Camatkārapura)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda, radiant and youthful, lifts the divine spear and plants/establishes it in the ‘excellent city’; the earth/peak named Raktaśṛṅga becomes firm, as if pinned to cosmic order.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Śakti (divine spear)
• Raktaśṛṅga
• Camatkārapura (implied by prior verse’s locale)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A place becomes spiritually ‘firm’ through divine presence and consecration; sacred installation transforms geography into a tīrtha-field of stability and protection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘excellent city’ in this sequence is tied to Camatkārapura; Raktaśṛṅga is presented as a sanctified landmark stabilized through Skanda’s Śakti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse describes sthāpanā (establishing/installing) of a sacred power-object (Śakti), implying consecratory sanctification, though no step-by-step ritual is detailed.