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

Kinuha rin ni Skanda ang sibat na iyon at itinatag doon sa dakilang lungsod. Sa mismong gawa ring iyon, si Raktaśṛṅga ay naging matatag at di matinag.

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.