Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

चतुर्विंशतिभेदेन पुराणज्ञैर्निरीक्षितः । मुखे जांबूनदं चैव शालग्रामः प्रकीर्तितः

Transliteration

caturviṃśatibhedena purāṇajñairnirīkṣitaḥ | mukhe jāṃbūnadaṃ caiva śālagrāmaḥ prakīrtitaḥ

Translation

لقد تفحّصَ عارفو البورانا أمرَه فرأوه ذا أربعٍ وعشرينَ هيئةً متميّزة. ويُعلَن أن الشالاغراما (Śālagrāma) يحمل على وجهه علامات «جامبونادا» (jāmbūnada) ذات اللمعان الذهبي.

Word by Word

• caturviṃśati-bhedena: by the division into twenty-four kinds
• caturviṃśati-bhedena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturviṃśati (प्रातिपदिक) + bheda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (caturviṃśateḥ bhedena)

• purāṇa-jñaiḥ: by the knowers of the Purāṇas
• purāṇa-jñaiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + jña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (purāṇānāṃ jñaiḥ)

• nirīkṣitaḥ: examined/observed
• nirīkṣitaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir-īkṣ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘observed/examined’

• mukhe: in the mouth/at the face
• mukhe: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• jāṃbūnadam: jāmbūnada-gold
• jāṃbūnadam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāṃbūnada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अत्र विशेष्यरूपेण (gold)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• śālagrāmaḥ: Śālagrāma (sacred stone)
• śālagrāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śālagrāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• prakīrtitaḥ: is proclaimed
• prakīrtitaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-kīrt (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; ‘is proclaimed/declared’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śālagrāma (Gaṇḍakī-udbhava)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned assembly of purāṇa-knowers examines Śālagrāma stones, noting twenty-four varieties; one stone is shown with a golden ‘jāmbūnada’ marking on its face.

Characters & Entities

• Śālagrāma
• Purāṇa-jñaḥ (Puranic sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine is recognized through sacred signs; tradition preserves careful ways to discern and honor holy embodiments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly the Gaṇḍakī–Śālagrāma sphere, since Śālagrāma is classically associated with Gaṇḍakī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated; it emphasizes discernment of Śālagrāma forms and auspicious markings for proper worship.