Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

तं गर्भं विधिना दिष्टा दश देव्यो दधुस्ततः । समेत्य धारयामासुर्नैव ताः समशक्नुवन्

Transliteration

taṃ garbhaṃ vidhinā diṣṭā daśa devyo dadhustataḥ | sametya dhārayāmāsurnaiva tāḥ samaśaknuvan

Translation

Daraufhin, nach heiliger Vorschrift, nahmen zehn Göttinnen jenen Embryo auf. Gemeinsam versuchten sie, ihn zu tragen, doch vermochten sie ihn nicht zu halten.

Word by Word

• tam: that
• tam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• garbham: embryo/fetus
• garbham: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• vidhinā: by ordinance/according to rule
• vidhinā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• diṣṭāḥ: appointed/ordained
• diṣṭāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: diś (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle) ‘diṣṭa’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• daśa: ten
• daśa: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या; स्त्रीलिङ्ग-विशेष्ये (agreeing with devyaḥ), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचनार्थ (ten)

• devyaḥ: goddesses
• devyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• dadhuḥ: placed/held
• dadhuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhā (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla (Sequence/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/ततः (ablatival adverb: ‘then/from there’)

• sametya: having come together
• sametya: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + i (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• dhārayāmāsuḥ: they tried to bear/they bore (kept holding)
• dhārayāmāsuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhṛ (धातु) + ṇic (णिच्)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोजक (causative)

• na: not
• na: Negation (Niṣedha/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• eva: indeed/at all
• eva: Emphasis (Avadhāraṇa/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• tāḥ: they (those goddesses)
• tāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• samaśaknuvan: were able
• samaśaknuvan: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + śak (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Viṣṇugaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śivaśarmā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ten goddesses, summoned by ordinance, receive a radiant embryo; they gather to sustain it but strain under its overwhelming brilliance.

Characters & Entities

• Soma (as garbha)
• ten Devīs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain divine manifestations exceed ordinary containment, emphasizing the vastness of cosmic potency.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No direct tīrtha reference; it continues the Somaloka origin account within Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the handling of Soma’s garbha by ten devīs.