Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

हस्तकांश्चतुराशीतिं स ससर्ज सदाशिवः । ललाटफलकस्वेदात्सूतमागधबंदिनः

Transliteration

hastakāṃścaturāśītiṃ sa sasarja sadāśivaḥ | lalāṭaphalakasvedātsūtamāgadhabaṃdinaḥ

Translation

Aus dem Schweiß auf seiner Stirn erschuf Sadāśiva vierundachtzig Hastakas—Sūtas, Māgadhas und Barden, die Lobgesänge singen.

Word by Word

• hastakān: hand-drummers/hand-percussionists (hastakas)
• hastakān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hastaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — Accusative plural

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय — conjunction

• caturāśītīm: eighty-four
• caturāśītīm: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturāśīti (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular; संख्यावाचक विशेषण (हस्तकान् इत्यस्य संख्या)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; सर्वनाम

• sasarja: created/emitted
• sasarja: Kriyā (Predicate action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sṛj (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — 3rd sg perfect; परस्मैपद

• sadāśivaḥ: Sadāśiva
• sadāśivaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sadāśiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; विशेष्य (saḥ)

• lalāṭa-phalaka-svedāt: from the sweat on the forehead-plate (forehead)
• lalāṭa-phalaka-svedāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lalāṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + phalaka (प्रातिपदिक) + sveda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन — Ablative singular; समासः (ललाटस्य फलकस्य स्वेदात्)

• sūta-māgadha-baṃdinaḥ: Sūtas, Māgadhas, and bards
• sūta-māgadha-baṃdinaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक) + māgadha (प्रातिपदिक) + baṃdin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — Nominative plural; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (सूताश्च मागधाश्च बन्दिनश्च)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the Ṛṣis (deduced; speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: From Śiva’s brow-sweat (lalāṭa-sveda) emerge eighty-four attendants—Sūtas, Māgadhas, and Bandins—each holding scrolls, drums, or vīṇās, poised to proclaim praises.

Characters & Entities

• Sadāśiva
• Sūta
• Māgadha
• Bandin (bards)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred praise (stuti) is shown as divinely rooted—bards and narrators arise from Śiva himself, sanctifying the act of glorifying tīrthas and deities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya (Adhyāya 254), the surrounding tīrtha setting is being exalted; the particular site-name is not specified in this single verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the verse supports the dharma of stotra/ākhyāna (praise and sacred narration).