Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

गालव उवाच । या हि योगीश्वरध्येया या वन्द्या विश्ववन्दिता । जननी या च विश्वस्य साऽपि कामात्तपोगता

Transliteration

gālava uvāca | yā hi yogīśvaradhyeyā yā vandyā viśvavanditā | jananī yā ca viśvasya sā'pi kāmāttapogatā

Translation

Gālava sprach: Sie, die von den Herren des Yoga zu betrachten ist, sie, die verehrungswürdig und von der Welt verehrt wird, die Mutter des Universums—auch sie ging, aus Verlangen, zur Askese.

Word by Word

• गालवः: Gālava
• गालवः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• या: she who
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/causal nuance)

• योगीश्वरध्येया: to be meditated upon by the lords of yogins
• योगीश्वरध्येया: Karta (Apposition/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: योगीश्वर+ध्येय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—योगीश्वरैः ध्येया (तत्पुरुष)

• या: she who
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुनरुक्त-सम्बन्ध

• वन्द्या: worthy of worship
• वन्द्या: Karta (Apposition/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वन्द्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; साध्य/योग्यवाचक

• विश्ववन्दिता: praised by the whole world
• विश्ववन्दिता: Karta (Apposition/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्व+वन्दित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—विश्वेन वन्दिता (तत्पुरुष)

• जननी: mother
• जननी: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जननी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• या: she who
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• विश्वस्य: of the universe
• विश्वस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; ‘also/even’)

• कामात्: from desire
• कामात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• तपोगता: went to austerity
• तपोगता: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तपस्+गत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तपसि गता (तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Gālava

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage (Gālava) speaks in reverent astonishment, gesturing toward an imagined vision of the cosmic Mother—worshipped by all and meditated upon by yogic lords—yet choosing austerity out of desire.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Mother of the universe (Devī/Pārvatī, implied)
• Yogīśvaras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the most worship-worthy divine Mother demonstrates the path of disciplined striving through tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse appears inside the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya framework of the Nāgara-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Undertaking tapas (austerity) as a means to attain a desired spiritual end.