Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

षण्मुखं बालकं ज्ञात्वा सर्वे देवा मुदान्विताः । गर्गेणोक्तास्तदंते वै सुखेन ह्रियतामिति

Transliteration

ṣaṇmukhaṃ bālakaṃ jñātvā sarve devā mudānvitāḥ | gargeṇoktāstadaṃte vai sukhena hriyatāmiti

Translation

Als man das Kind als Ṣaṇmukha erkannte, wurden alle Götter von Freude erfüllt. Und am Ende, wie Garga es verkündete, hieß es: „Tragt ihn sicher und ohne Mühe fort.“

Word by Word

• षण्मुखम्: the six-faced one
• षण्मुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षण् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (six-faced)

• बालकम्: the child
• बालकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ज्ञात्वा: having recognized
• ज्ञात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): 'having known'

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying देवा)

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• मुदान्विताः: filled with joy
• मुदान्विताः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुदा (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्वित (कृदन्त; अन्वि + इ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—मुदया अन्विताः (endowed with joy)

• गर्गेण: by Garga
• गर्गेण: Kartr-karana (Agent-instrument in passive/कर्तृकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• उक्ताः: told, addressed
• उक्ताः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP)

• तदन्ते: thereafter, at that end
• तदन्ते: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तस्य अन्ते (at the end of that/thereafter)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• सुखेन: comfortably, with ease
• सुखेन: Karana (Manner/प्रकार-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोग (instrumental of manner)

• ह्रियताम्: let (him/it) be carried away
• ह्रियताम्: Kriya (Injunctive action/आज्ञार्थ-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: 'let ... be carried')

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas gather at the riverbank, faces bright with relief and joy, pointing toward a miraculous six-faced child; a sage-like figure (Garga) gestures calmly, instructing that the child be carried safely.

Characters & Entities

• Ṣaṇmukha (Skanda/Kārttikeya)
• Devas
• Garga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine child’s manifestation is celebrated as auspicious for the cosmos, and the gods’ joy signals the restoration of protective order (dharma-rakṣaṇa).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Though not naming a single tīrtha in this verse, it remains within the Kedārakhaṇḍa sacred-geography frame linked to the Himalaya and Gaṅgā narrative corridor.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal ritual is prescribed; it is a narrative instruction to convey the child safely.