Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

तथान्याः कौतुकाविष्टा धावंत्यः सर्वतोदिशम् । दृश्यंते तं समुद्दिश्य विस्तारितविलोचनाः

Transliteration

tathānyāḥ kautukāviṣṭā dhāvaṃtyaḥ sarvatodiśam | dṛśyaṃte taṃ samuddiśya vistāritavilocanāḥ

Translation

اسی طرح دوسری عورتیں بھی تجسّس میں گرفتار ہو کر ہر سمت دوڑ پڑیں؛ وہ اسی کی طرف لپکتی دکھائی دیں، شوقِ دید میں آنکھیں پھیلا کر۔

Word by Word

• tathā: thus, in that manner
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/रीति-वाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• anyāḥ: others (women)
• anyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

• kautuka-āviṣṭāḥ: overcome with curiosity
• kautuka-āviṣṭāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival to anyāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kautuka (प्रातिपदिक) + ā-viś (धातु) → āviṣṭa (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘आविष्ट’ = ‘possessed/overcome’; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (kautukena āviṣṭāḥ)

• dhāvantyaḥ: running
• dhāvantyaḥ: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhāv (धातु) → dhāvat (शतृ-कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन; क्रियार्थे (finite sense)

• sarvataḥ: from all sides
• sarvataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/दिक्-वाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: from all sides)

• diśam: direction
• diśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative); एकवचन

• dṛśyante: are seen
• dṛśyante: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd); बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन

• samuddiśya: having aimed at / looking toward
• samuddiśya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial; prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ud-diś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); ‘समुद्दिश्य’ = ‘उद्दिश्य/लक्ष्यीकृत्य’

• vistārita-vilocanāḥ: with widened eyes
• vistārita-vilocanāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival to anyāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vistārita (कृदन्त) + vilocana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (vistāritāni vilocanāni yāsām)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) — deductive attribution

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sudden commotion: groups of women, seized by curiosity, run from all directions toward a striking ascetic figure; faces turned, eyes widened, garments and ornaments in mid-motion; a royal road as the central axis.

Characters & Entities

• Tāpasyaḥ (women ascetics)
• Śiva (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked curiosity becomes agitation; spiritual life requires steadiness of attention and senses.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Nāgarakhaṇḍa sacred hermitage-forest, depicted as the setting for transformative encounters with the divine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse continues the narrative portrayal of sensory distraction as a dharma lesson.