Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अनेन बटुनासार्धं मम शिष्येण कामगाः । बहुशः संति चान्येऽपि मच्छिष्याः कामरूपिणः

Transliteration

anena baṭunāsārdhaṃ mama śiṣyeṇa kāmagāḥ | bahuśaḥ saṃti cānye'pi macchiṣyāḥ kāmarūpiṇaḥ

Translation

„Zusammen mit diesem jungen Schüler von mir gibt es Wesen, die sich nach Wunsch fortbewegen; und viele andere ebenfalls—meine Schüler—können nach Belieben Gestalten annehmen.“

Word by Word

• अनेन: with this (one)
• अनेन: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन (pronoun, instrumental singular)

• बटुना: with the novice/student
• बटुना: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बटु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन (masculine, instrumental singular)

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sambandha (Association marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अर्थक अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ (indeclinable meaning ‘together with’)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन (pronoun, genitive singular)

• शिष्येण: with (my) disciple
• शिष्येण: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन (masculine, instrumental singular)

• कामगाः: able to go at will
• कामगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कामग (प्रातिपदिक; कामं गच्छन्ति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; विशेषण (masculine, nominative plural; bahuvrīhi ‘those who go as they wish’)

• बहुशः: many times; in many ways
• बहुशः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहुशः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• सन्ति: are, exist
• सन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (present, parasmaipada, 3rd pl)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अन्ये: others
• अन्ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन (masculine, nominative plural)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चय-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• मत्: my
• मत्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-एकवचनार्थे पूर्वपद-रूप (genitive ‘my’ used as compound member)

• शिष्याः: disciples
• शिष्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन (masculine, nominative plural)

• कामरूपिणः: shape-shifters at will
• कामरूपिणः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक); कामं रूपं यस्य
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; विशेषण (masculine, nominative plural; bahuvrīhi ‘having forms at will’)

Speaker

Tāpasa (Devaśarmā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: queen/pilgrim figure (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage gestures to a young disciple and hints at an entourage of disciples with supernatural mobility and form-changing ability, suggesting an unseen protective retinue around the hermitage.

Characters & Entities

• Devaśarmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas can yield extraordinary capacities, yet the narrative context typically uses such powers to highlight dharma and the need for right intention.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it functions as narrative detail within the broader tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse references siddhis (kāmagati, kāmarūpatva) as outcomes associated with austerity and discipline.