Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ततो विधेः समादेशाच्छक्रेणान्या समाहृता । काचिद्गोपसमुद्भूता कुमारी देव रूपिणी

Transliteration

tato vidheḥ samādeśācchakreṇānyā samāhṛtā | kācidgopasamudbhūtā kumārī deva rūpiṇī

Translation

Dann, auf Geheiß des Vidhātṛ (Brahmā), brachte Śakra (Indra) ein anderes Mädchen herbei—unter den Kuhhirten geboren, eine unvermählte Kumārī, von göttlicher, gottgleicher Gestalt.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb); ‘then/from there’

• विधेः: of Brahmā (Vidhī)
• विधेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• समादेशात्: from the command
• समादेशात्: Apādāna (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समादेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; ‘from/owing to the command’

• शक्रेण: by Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रेण: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्ता-हेतौ), एकवचन

• अन्या: another
• अन्या: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• समाहृता: was brought
• समाहृता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘was brought/collected’

• काचित्: a certain (one)
• काचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

• गोपसमुद्भूता: born from/among cowherds
• गोपसमुद्भूता: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोप (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्-उद्-भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP) ‘समुद्भूत’, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गोपात्/गोपस्य समुद्भूता)

• कुमारी: a maiden
• कुमारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• देव: divine
• देव: Sambandha (Qualifier base/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूपेण पूर्वपद (समासाङ्ग)

• रूपिणी: having (a) form; appearing
• रूपिणी: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘having form/appearance’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Purāṇic narration style in Māhātmya sections)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, commanded by Brahmā, arrives with a luminous cowherd-born maiden, unmarried and divine in appearance, to replace the absent participant.

Characters & Entities

• Vidhātr̥ (Brahmā)
• Śakra (Indra)
• Gopā (cowherd community)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine rites proceed under cosmic order—when dharma demands, even the gods act swiftly to uphold the sanctity of sacred acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrtha-māhātmya narrative frame; the immediate line itself focuses on the mythic backstory supporting a tīrtha’s sanctity rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription (snāna/dāna/japa) appears here; it sets up the ritual context of a divinely sanctioned marriage connected to yajña-dharma.