Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

गालव उवाच । इतिहासस्त्वयं पुण्यः पुराणेषु च पठ्यते । यथा स एव भगवाञ्छालिग्रामत्वमागतः

Transliteration

gālava uvāca | itihāsastvayaṃ puṇyaḥ purāṇeṣu ca paṭhyate | yathā sa eva bhagavāñchāligrāmatvamāgataḥ

Translation

গালব বললেন—এই পুণ্য ইতিহাস পুরাণে পাঠ করা হয়; কীভাবে সেই ভগবানই শালিগ্রাম-রূপে প্রকাশিত হলেন।

Word by Word

• गालवः: Gālava
• गालवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• इतिहासः: this account; legend
• इतिहासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इतिहास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• तु: indeed; however
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अनुक्रम (adversative/contrast particle)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Apposition (समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• पुण्यः: holy; meritorious
• पुण्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (इतिहासस्य)

• पुराणेषु: in the Purāṇas
• पुराणेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन

• च: also
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• पठ्यते: is recited; is read
• पठ्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पठ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• यथा: how; in what manner
• यथा: Connector (अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कथन-प्रकार/उपपत्ति-सूचक (how/according as)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• एव: indeed; precisely
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

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

• शालिग्रामत्वम्: the state of being Śāligram
• शालिग्रामत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शालिग्रामत्व (प्रातिपदिक) = शालिग्राम + त्व
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः/तद्धितान्त (त्व-प्रत्ययः: state of being Śāligram)

• आगतः: came to; attained
• आगतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कर्तरि कृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (भगवान्) इत्यस्य विधेयम्

Speaker

Gālava

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śāligrāma (as tīrtha-object)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Paijavana

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Gālava begins narration, holding a manuscript; behind him, faint vignettes appear like a story-scroll: the river, the stone, and a divine aura indicating the Lord’s presence in Śāligrāma.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Bhagavān
• Śāligrāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic ‘itihāsa’ is itself a vehicle of merit; it reveals how the Supreme can compassionately take worshippable forms accessible to devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse highlights Śāligrāma as a sacred manifestation (often associated with sacred river regions), but does not name a particular tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the emphasis is on recitation/reading (paṭhana) of Purāṇic sacred history and reverence for Śāligrāma.