Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

व्याघ्रचर्मपरीधाना नग्ना ज्वालामुखाः परे । गोकर्णा गजकर्णाश्च बहुपादमुखेक्षणाः

Transliteration

vyāghracarmaparīdhānā nagnā jvālāmukhāḥ pare | gokarṇā gajakarṇāśca bahupādamukhekṣaṇāḥ

Translation

كان بعضهم يلبس جلود النمور، وآخرون عراة ذوو أفواه متّقدة كاللهب. ومنهم من له آذان كآذان البقر، ومنهم من له آذان كآذان الفيلة؛ ومنهم من له أقدام ووجوه وعيون كثيرة.

Word by Word

• vyāghra-carma-parīdhānāḥ: wearing tiger-skins
• vyāghra-carma-parīdhānāḥ: Karta (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyāghra (प्रातिपदिक) + carman (प्रातिपदिक) + parīdhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः (vyāghracarma parīdhānaṃ yeṣām)

• nagnāḥ: naked
• nagnāḥ: Karta (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nagna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्

• jvālā-mukhāḥ: flame-faced
• jvālā-mukhāḥ: Karta (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jvālā (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः (jvālā iva mukhaṃ yeṣām / jvālāyukta-mukhāḥ)

• pare: others
• pare: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; ‘others’ (substantivized adjective)

• go-karṇāḥ: cow-eared
• go-karṇāḥ: Karta (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + karṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः (go-sadṛśa-karṇāḥ yeṣām)

• gaja-karṇāḥ: elephant-eared
• gaja-karṇāḥ: Karta (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gaja (प्रातिपदिक) + karṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपातः (conjunction)

• bahu-pāda-mukha-īkṣaṇāḥ: having many feet, faces, and eyes
• bahu-pāda-mukha-īkṣaṇāḥ: Karta (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक) + īkṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः (bahavaḥ pādāḥ mukhāni īkṣaṇāni ca yeṣām)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaṇas in startling variety: some draped in tiger-skins, some naked; some with mouths like flames; ears like cow or elephant; bodies with many feet, faces, and eyes—an army of vigilant guardians.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva’s gaṇas (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse portrays the awe-inspiring, fierce majesty of Śiva’s realm, where divine power appears in many extraordinary forms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tirtha is mentioned; the emphasis is descriptive rather than geographical.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.