Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

चतस्रस्तस्य दिग्देव्यो नव दुर्गाश्च संति याः । समाराधय ता गत्वा तासामैक्यं हि दुर्लभम्

Transliteration

catasrastasya digdevyo nava durgāśca saṃti yāḥ | samārādhaya tā gatvā tāsāmaikyaṃ hi durlabham

Translation

Dort gibt es vier Richtungs-Göttinnen als Hüterinnen der Himmelsgegenden und zudem neun Durgās. Geh hin und verehre sie innig; denn das vereinte Erscheinen dieser Mächte ist wahrlich selten zu erlangen.

Word by Word

• चतस्रः: four
• चतस्रः: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण (qualifying दिग्देव्यो)

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (genitive singular)

• दिग्देव्यः: direction-goddesses
• दिग्देव्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिक् + देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (दिशां देव्यः = direction-goddesses)

• नव: nine
• नव: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नव (संख्या-अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, प्रथमा, बहुवचनार्थे; विशेषण (qualifying दुर्गाः)

• दुर्गाः: Durgas
• दुर्गाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• सन्ति: are
• सन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• याः: which (fem. pl.)
• याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (relative pronoun)

• समाराधय: worship/propitiate
• समाराधय: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + राध् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• ताः: them
• ताः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• तासाम्: of them
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (genitive plural)

• ऐक्यम्: unity
• ऐक्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऐक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (here: प्रथमा as subject of दुर्लभम्)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (emphatic particle)

• दुर्लभम्: hard to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Visheshana (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेयविशेषण (predicate adjective of ऐक्यम्)

Speaker

Unspecified (continuation of Sūta’s narration / Dāmodara’s instruction in-story)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed devotee/son (implicit from next verse’s ‘पुत्र’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred mandala-map of the kṣetra: four radiant guardian Devīs stationed at the cardinal directions, while nine Durgā forms appear as a protective garland around the central sanctum; a devotee is instructed to go and worship.

Characters & Entities

• Digdevī (directional goddesses)
• Nava Durgā (nine Durgās)
• Guptakṣetra (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places can concentrate divine powers; worship there honors Devī’s many protective forms as a rare unified blessing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Guptakṣetra (by context), celebrated as hosting four directional goddesses and nine Durgās together.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

To go to that kṣetra and perform devoted worship (samārādhana) of the directional Devīs and the nine Durgās.