Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

अनंतमहिमाधार धराधर विदारण । दंताग्रप्रोतां दङ्नाग जयनागविभूषण

Transliteration

anaṃtamahimādhāra dharādhara vidāraṇa | daṃtāgraprotāṃ daṅnāga jayanāgavibhūṣaṇa

Translation

Sieg dir, Stütze endloser Herrlichkeit, Spalter berggleicher Lasten! Mit der Spitze deines Stoßzahns hast du den mächtigen Elefanten durchbohrt und festgehalten; Sieg dir, geschmückt mit Schlangen.

Word by Word

• अनन्त-महिमा-आधार: support of endless glory
• अनन्त-महिमा-आधार: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + महिमा (प्रातिपदिक) + आधार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (addressed); ‘अनन्तस्य महिम्नः आधारः’ (support of infinite glory)

• धरा-धर: earth-bearer; mountain
• धरा-धर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरा (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (धृ धातु + अच्/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (addressed); ‘धरां धरति’ (bearer of the earth; mountain)

• विदारण: splitter; destroyer
• विदारण: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि+दॄ (धातु) + ल्युट्/अन (कृत्प्रत्यय; verbal noun)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (addressed); क्रियानाम (act/agent of tearing as epithet)

• दन्त-अग्र-प्रोताम्: pierced on the tusk-tip
• दन्त-अग्र-प्रोताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रोत (प्र+वे/वय् धातु + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (accusative singular); ‘दन्ताग्रे प्रोताम्’ (pierced/strung on the tusk-tip)

• दङ्-नाग: fierce elephant
• दङ्-नाग: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दङ् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘दङ्ग’/‘दङ्’ as fierce) + नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (addressed/epithet); ‘दङ् इव नागः’/‘दङ्गनागः’ (fierce elephant/serpent; here elephant)

• जय: hail!
• जय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जि (धातु)
• Form: अव्यय; संबोधनार्थे

• नाग-विभूषण: adorned with nāgas; nāga-ornament
• नाग-विभूषण: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक) + विभूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन (addressed); ‘नागः विभूषणं यस्य’ (adorned with serpents/elephants; ornament of nāgas)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (protective/auxiliary shrine context)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A formidable deity adorned with serpents, radiating endless greatness; with shining tusk-tip he subdues a mighty elephant, while mountain-like burdens split apart—symbolizing the crushing of obstacles and heaviness for pilgrims in Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇeśa
• Nāga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gaṇeśa bears infinite majesty and has the power to split ‘mountain-like’ obstacles that block dhārmic progress.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī-khaṇḍa context frames the praise within the sacred field of Vārāṇasī and its worship culture.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it is descriptive stuti aligned with dhyāna (meditative visualization) of Gaṇeśa’s form.