Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

ततस्तु भगवानासीन्महानटवपुर्धरः । मुकुटाः पंचशीर्षे तु पन्नगैरुपशोभिताः

Transliteration

tatastu bhagavānāsīnmahānaṭavapurdharaḥ | mukuṭāḥ paṃcaśīrṣe tu pannagairupaśobhitāḥ

Translation

ثم ظهرَ الربُّ المباركُ متجلّيًا في الهيئة البهيّة لراقصِ الكونِ العظيم (ناتاراجا)؛ وعلى تاجِه تزيّنت حيّاتٌ ذاتُ خمسِ رؤوس، تزيده مهابةً وجلالًا يبعثان على الخشوع.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = 'ततः/then, thereafter'

• तु: indeed, then
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle) = 'but/indeed'

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• महानटवपुःधरः: bearing the form of a great dancer
• महानटवपुःधरः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महानट + वपुस् + धर (प्रातिपदिक; धर=धृ-धातुज)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (वपुः धरः = 'body-bearing'); 'महानट' इति विशेषणपूर्वपद

• मुकुटाः: crowns, diadems
• मुकुटाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुकुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• पञ्चशीर्षे: on the five-headed (hood)
• पञ्चशीर्षे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च + शीर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; द्विगुसमासः (पञ्च शीर्षाणि यस्मिन्)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात)

• पन्नगैः: by serpents
• पन्नगैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पन्नग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• उपशोभिताः: adorned, beautified
• उपशोभिताः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप-शोभ् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, Past Passive Participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva appears as the Great Dancer—towering, radiant—crowned with five-hooded serpents; the assembly freezes in awe as the music becomes an offering to the dance; flames/auras and swirling garments suggest motion.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān (Śiva as Naṭarāja/Great Dancer)
• Pannagas (serpents)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord reveals Himself in forms suited to uplift devotees; divine beauty and awe are presented as gateways to reverence and inner transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter, but this line focuses on the Lord’s appearance rather than naming the locality.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit instruction is given; it narrates a theophany (divine manifestation) central to the sanctity of the occasion.