Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

गालव उवाच । शक्रादयस्तु देवेशा दुःखसंतप्तमानसाः । ईश्वरादर्शनभ्रांतमनः कर्मेंद्रिया रतिम्

Transliteration

gālava uvāca | śakrādayastu deveśā duḥkhasaṃtaptamānasāḥ | īśvarādarśanabhrāṃtamanaḥ karmeṃdriyā ratim

Translation

Gālava sprach: „Doch Śakra (Indra) und die übrigen Herren der Götter, im Herzen von Kummer versengt und im Geist verwirrt, weil ihnen das darśana des Herrn fehlte, fanden keine Freude an den Tätigkeiten der Sinne.“

Word by Word

• gālavaḥ: Gālava
• gālavaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gālava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śakra-ādayaḥ: Śakra and others
• śakra-ādayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakra (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (शक्रः आदिः येषाम्)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषणार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• deveśāḥ: lords of the gods
• deveśāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deveśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• duḥkha-saṃtapta-mānasāḥ: whose minds were scorched by sorrow
• duḥkha-saṃtapta-mānasāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃtapta (कृदन्त; saṃ-√tap धातु) + mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (दुःखेन संतप्तं मानसं येषाम्)

• īśvara-adarśana-bhrānta-manaḥ: a mind bewildered due to not seeing the Lord
• īśvara-adarśana-bhrānta-manaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + adarśana (प्रातिपदिक) + bhrānta (कृदन्त; √bhram धातु) + manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (ईश्वरस्य अदर्शनात् भ्रान्तं मनः)

• karma-indriyāḥ: the organs of action
• karma-indriyāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karma (प्रातिपदिक) + indriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कर्मणाम् इन्द्रियाणि)

• ratim: delight/attachment
• ratim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Gālava

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra and the devas stand subdued and sorrowful, their ornaments dim, gazing toward an unseen Śiva; the atmosphere is heavy with longing, senses withdrawn, hands folded in anxious devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Śakra
• Indra
• Devas
• Īśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Without īśvara-darśana, worldly enjoyments lose their taste; devotion reframes desire into longing for the Divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya narrative setting of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa, where Śiva’s presence and sacred locales are central.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it describes the devotional psychology that often underlies vrata, tapas, and pilgrimage.