Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

एका सा कापि धन्या या चक्रे तस्यावगूहनम् । विश्रब्धा सर्वगात्रेषु तापसस्य महात्मनः

Transliteration

ekā sā kāpi dhanyā yā cakre tasyāvagūhanam | viśrabdhā sarvagātreṣu tāpasasya mahātmanaḥ

Translation

ان میں سے ایک—اپنے آپ کو نہایت خوش نصیب سمجھ کر—اس مہاتما تپسوی کو بے تکلفی سے گلے لگا بیٹھی، اور اس کے تمام اعضا سے لپٹ گئی۔

Word by Word

• ekā: one (woman)
• ekā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying sā)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kāpi: some (one)
• kāpi: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kā (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + api (अव्यय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक सर्वनाम (some/any)

• dhanyā: fortunate, blessed
• dhanyā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhanya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• yā: who
• yā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• cakre: she did
• cakre: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• avagūhanam: embrace, clasping
• avagūhanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ava-gūh (धातु) + lyuṭ (ल्युट्)
• Form: कृदन्त-नाम (ल्युट्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• viśrabdhā: confident, unhesitating
• viśrabdhā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-śrambh (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying sā)

• sarvagātreṣu: on all (his) limbs
• sarvagātreṣu: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + gātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (sarvāṇi gātrāṇi = all limbs)

• tāpasasya: of the ascetic
• tāpasasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāpasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled one
• mahātmanaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण (epithet of tāpasasya)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) — deductive attribution

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: One woman ascetic steps forward from the group, convinced of her ‘good fortune,’ and embraces the great ascetic fully; surrounding ascetics react with shock, envy, or confusion; Rudra remains composed, the moment charged with impending revelation.

Characters & Entities

• Tāpasa (ascetic; Śiva in disguise implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mistaking impulse for ‘fortune’ is delusion; the story warns that desire can masquerade as auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Nāgarakhaṇḍa āśrama-tīrtha where Śiva’s presence triggers a didactic test of restraint.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative caution within the māhātmya framework.