Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे प्राप्तो गौरीवाक्यप्रबोधितः । तदर्थं भगवान्कामः पत्न्यर्थं प्रीतिसंयुतः । अब्रवीच्च महाभागे कामोहं स्वयमागतः

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare prāpto gaurīvākyaprabodhitaḥ | tadarthaṃ bhagavānkāmaḥ patnyarthaṃ prītisaṃyutaḥ | abravīcca mahābhāge kāmohaṃ svayamāgataḥ

Translation

In diesem Augenblick kam der Herr der Liebe, Kāma, durch Gaurīs Worte erweckt. Zu eben diesem Zweck gekommen—eine Gattin suchend und von Zuneigung erfüllt—sprach er: „O Glückselige, ich bin Kāma, persönlich bin ich gekommen.“

Word by Word

• etasmin: in this
• etasmin: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-शब्दः (demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally)

• antare: in the interval
• antare: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; स्थान/कालवाचक

• prāptaḥ: arrived
• prāptaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (धातु) + pra-; prāpta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः; ‘having arrived’

• gaurī: of Gaurī
• gaurī: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (समासे पूर्वपद-सम्बन्धः)

• vākya: by (her) words
• vākya: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन (समासे साधनभावः)

• prabodhitaḥ: informed by Gaurī’s words
• prabodhitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√budh (धातु); prabodhita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘प्रबोधितः’ = awakened/informed; समासः: गौरी-वाक्य-प्रबोधितः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष)

• tad: that
• tad: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-शब्दः (used as qualifier)

• artham: purpose
• artham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रयोजनवाचक

• bhagavān: the Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणवत् आदरार्थक

• kāmaḥ: Kāma (Cupid)
• kāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; देवता-नाम

• patnī: of a wife
• patnī: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (समासे पूर्वपद-सम्बन्धः)

• artham: for the sake
• artham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रयोजनवाचक

• prīti: with affection
• prīti: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prīti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (समासे साधनभावः)

• saṃyutaḥ: endowed with affection
• saṃyutaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃ-√yuj (धातु); saṃyuta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः: प्रीति-संयुतः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष)

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• mahābhāge: O greatly fortunate one
• mahābhāge: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः: महा + भाग (कर्मधारय)

• kāmaḥ: Kāma
• kāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• svayam: personally
• svayam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: स्वार्थक-अव्यय (adverb)

• āgataḥ: have come
• āgataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√gam (धातु); āgata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having come’

Speaker

Kāma (Smara), within the narrative

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kāma (Smara), radiant and youthful, arrives suddenly as if summoned by Gaurī’s words; he addresses a fortunate maiden with affectionate intent, the setting hinting at a nearby sacred settlement/palace precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• Kāma (Smara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine intention (Gaurī’s will) guides events; even personal bonds like marriage are portrayed as unfolding under higher dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The larger chapter is a tīrtha-māhātmya, but this verse focuses on the narrative arrival of Kāma rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it continues the tīrtha-linked narrative.