Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

स्कन्दं कात्यायनीं देवीं महालक्ष्मीं सरस्वतीम् । इन्द्रादीनथ लोकेशान्पुण्यश्लोकानृषीनपि

Transliteration

skandaṃ kātyāyanīṃ devīṃ mahālakṣmīṃ sarasvatīm | indrādīnatha lokeśānpuṇyaślokānṛṣīnapi

Translation

Man verneige sich auch vor Skanda, vor der Göttin Kātyāyanī, vor Mahālakṣmī und Sarasvatī; ebenso vor Indra und den übrigen Weltenherrschern sowie vor den Ṛṣis, die in heiligen Lobgesängen gepriesen werden.

Word by Word

• स्कन्दम्: Skanda
• स्कन्दम्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कात्यायनीम्: Kātyāyanī
• कात्यायनीम्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कात्यायनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• देवीम्: the Goddess
• देवीम्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• महालक्ष्मीम्: Mahālakṣmī
• महालक्ष्मीम्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महती लक्ष्मीः)

• सरस्वतीम्: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वतीम्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• इन्द्रादीन्: Indra and others
• इन्द्रादीन्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (इन्द्रः आदिः येषाम्)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तर/आरम्भबोधक अव्यय (particle: then/now)

• लोकेशान्: lords of the worlds
• लोकेशान्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लोकानाम् ईशाः)

• पुण्यश्लोकान्: of holy fame
• पुण्यश्लोकान्: Visheshana (Qualifier of ऋषीन्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + श्लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (पुण्याः श्लोकाः येषाम्/पुण्यश्लोकाः) विशेषणम्

• ऋषीन्: sages
• ऋषीन्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Additive particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक अव्यय (also/even)

Speaker

Unknown (narrative instruction within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa; speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotional assembly in the mind’s eye: Skanda with spear and peacock; Kātyāyanī as warrior Devī; Mahālakṣmī with lotuses; Sarasvatī with vīṇā; Indra and other lokapālas in the quarters; a ring of Ṛṣis with matted locks chanting—forming a cosmic mandala around the practitioner.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kātyāyanī
• Mahālakṣmī
• Sarasvatī
• Indra
• Lokeśas
• Ṛṣis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is supported by gratitude and reverence—honoring deities, cosmic guardians, and the ṛṣis who preserve sacred knowledge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is mentioned; the verse is an invocation listing revered beings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A devotional salutation (namaskāra) to Skanda, the Devīs, the lokapālas/lokeśas, and the ṛṣis.