Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

सा गत्वा प्रातरुत्थाय शुभे गंगातटे तदा । पञ्चपिंडात्मिकां गौरीं कृत्वा कर्द्दमसंभवाम्

Transliteration

sā gatvā prātarutthāya śubhe gaṃgātaṭe tadā | pañcapiṃḍātmikāṃ gaurīṃ kṛtvā karddamasaṃbhavām

Translation

Frühmorgens stand sie auf und begab sich damals an das glückverheißende Ufer der Gaṅgā. Dort formte sie Gaurī in der Gestalt der Pañcapiṇḍātmikā, aus heiligem Schlamm bereitet.

Word by Word

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संकेत-सर्वनाम

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• prātaḥ: in the morning
• prātaḥ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prātaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• utthāya: having risen
• utthāya: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ut-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• śubhe: auspicious
• śubhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; (gaṃgātaṭe विशेषण)

• gaṃgātaṭe: on the bank of the Gaṅgā
• gaṃgātaṭe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃgā-taṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; गङ्गायाः तटः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• pañcapiṃḍātmikām: consisting of five lumps (piṇḍas)
• pañcapiṃḍātmikām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca-piṃḍa-ātmikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; पञ्च पिण्डाः यस्याः/यत्र (अर्थतः ‘पञ्चपिण्डरूपा’)

• gaurīm: Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• gaurīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• karddamasaṃbhavām: born from mud (made of clay)
• karddamasaṃbhavām: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karddama-saṃbhavā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्दमात् सम्भवा (पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Lakṣmī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-tīra (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viṣṇu

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn on the Gaṅgā’s auspicious bank, the queen kneels and shapes sacred mud into a five-lobed/ five-piṇḍa embodiment of Gaurī; the river glows with morning light, ghāṭa steps and pilgrims faintly visible.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Gaurī
• Pañcapiṇḍātmikā (Pañcapiṇḍikā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion sanctifies place and matter: even simple clay becomes worship-worthy when shaped with faith at a tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The auspicious Gaṅgā bank, where Pañcapiṇḍikā-Gaurī is worshipped in this adhyāya’s tīrtha account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dawn observance and crafting a mud/clay form of Gaurī as Pañcapiṇḍātmikā for worship at the Gaṅgā bank.