Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । पूर्वं किंचिन्महद्भूतं निर्गतं धरणीतलात् । अपूर्वं रौद्रमत्युग्रं कृष्ण दंतं भयानकम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | pūrvaṃ kiṃcinmahadbhūtaṃ nirgataṃ dharaṇītalāt | apūrvaṃ raudramatyugraṃ kṛṣṇa daṃtaṃ bhayānakam

Translation

سوت نے کہا: پہلے زمانے میں زمین کی سطح سے ایک نہایت عظیم الجثہ مخلوق نمودار ہوئی—انوکھی، قہر آلود، بے حد ہیبت ناک، سیاہ دانتوں والی اور دہشت انگیز۔

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta (the narrator)
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Perfect, 3rd person, Singular

• pūrvam: formerly / earlier
• pūrvam: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — Indeclinable (temporal adverb)

• kiṃcit: something
• kiṃcit: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular (indefinite)

• mahat: great
• mahat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; विशेषण

• bhūtam: a being / creature
• bhūtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular

• nirgatam: gone out / emerged
• nirgatam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir√gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — PPP, Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; विशेषण

• dharaṇītalāt: from the surface of the earth
• dharaṇītalāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharaṇī-tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन — Neuter, Ablative, Singular; समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• apūrvam: unprecedented / strange
• apūrvam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; विशेषण

• raudram: fierce
• raudram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; विशेषण

• ati-ugram: exceedingly terrible
• ati-ugram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय) + ugra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; अव्ययीभाव-समासः (अति + उग्र)

• kṛṣṇa: black
• kṛṣṇa: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; विशेषण

• dantam: tooth / tusk
• dantam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: danta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular

• bhayānakam: terrifying
• bhayānakam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhayānaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (Naimiṣāraṇya assembly, implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: From a cracked earth-surface a colossal, unprecedented, wrathful being rises—black-toothed, terrifying—dust and smoke billowing as the ground splits.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Bhūta (terrifying being)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage lore often frames tīrthas against a backdrop of chaos subdued by dharma—reminding devotees that sacred order is established through divine and righteous action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the lead-up narrative connected to Vāstupada Tīrtha, explaining the circumstances behind its sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is narrative setup (itihāsa) rather than instruction.