Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

तमोऽस्त्रं मुमुचे रौद्रं कृत्वा रावं स तत्क्षणात् । एतस्मिन्नंतरे कृत्स्नं त्रैलोक्यं तमसा वृतम्

Transliteration

tamo'straṃ mumuce raudraṃ kṛtvā rāvaṃ sa tatkṣaṇāt | etasminnaṃtare kṛtsnaṃ trailokyaṃ tamasā vṛtam

Translation

他发出凶猛的咆哮，刹那间放出可怖的“黑暗之器”；就在那一瞬，三界尽被幽冥所笼罩。

Word by Word

• tamaḥ: darkness
• tamaḥ: Karma (Object-part/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• astram: weapon; missile
• astram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: astra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• mumuce: released; let loose
• mumuce: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (मुच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• raudram: terrible; fierce
• raudram: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (astram)

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘कृत्वा’ = having made

• rāvam: a roar; loud cry
• rāvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tat-kṣaṇāt: immediately; at that moment
• tat-kṣaṇāt: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; पञ्चमी-प्रयोगार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: immediately)

• etasmin: in this
• etasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• antare: in the interval; meanwhile
• antare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• kṛtsnam: entire; whole
• kṛtsnam: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛtsna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (trailokyam)

• trailokyam: the three worlds
• trailokyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (‘त्रयः लोकाः’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• tamasā: by darkness
• tamasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• vṛtam: covered; enveloped
• vṛtam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛ (वृ धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (trailokyam) सह

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice within the Tīrthamāhātmya frame; specific speaker not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dānava releases a ‘weapon of darkness’ with a roar; the sky and horizons collapse into blackness, swallowing the three worlds; only faint silhouettes remain.

Characters & Entities

• Andhaka (implied)
• Trailokya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual ignorance (tamas) is portrayed as a weapon that obscures all worlds; dharma requires restoring clarity and light.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular site is mentioned in the verse itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.