Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

ततः स मृन्मयीं कृत्वा चर्ममुण्डधरां नृपः । विभवाभावतः पश्चात्फलमूलैरतर्पयत्

Transliteration

tataḥ sa mṛnmayīṃ kṛtvā carmamuṇḍadharāṃ nṛpaḥ | vibhavābhāvataḥ paścātphalamūlairatarpayat

Translation

Dann formte der König aus Erde ein Bild der Göttin—mit Fell bekleidet und mit einer Girlande abgetrennter Häupter; und da es ihm an Reichtum fehlte, besänftigte er sie hernach mit Gaben von Früchten und Wurzeln.

Word by Word

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; अर्थे: 'तस्मात्/अनन्तरम्' (thereafter)

• स: he
• स: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम = pronoun

• मृन्मयीम्: made of clay
• मृन्मयीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛn-mayī (प्रातिपदिक; मृद् + मयी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण; 'मृन्मयी' = made of clay

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); अव्ययभावः; 'having made/done'

• चर्ममुण्डधराम्: wearing skin and a shaven head
• चर्ममुण्डधराम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: carma + muṇḍa + dharā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण; 'चर्म-मुण्ड-धरा' = wearing skin and a shaven head

• नृपः: the king
• नृपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• विभवाभावतः: due to lack of means
• विभवाभावतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vibhava + abhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-तसिल् (ablatival adverb) = indeclinable in sense 'because of/from'; 'विभव-अभावतः' = due to lack of resources

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paścāt (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (काल/क्रमवाचक) = indeclinable adverb; 'afterwards'

• फलमूलैः: with fruits and roots
• फलमूलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala + mūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास; करण (instrumental)

• अतर्पयत्: he satisfied/propitiated
• अतर्पयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tṛp (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; causative sense here: 'satisfied/propitiated'

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; specific speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king in austere surroundings fashions a small clay image of a fierce Devī adorned with a hide and a garland of skulls; he offers fruits and roots gathered from the forest, with humble posture and minimal ritual implements.

Characters & Entities

• Nala
• Sureśvarī (Devī)
• Mahānavamī
• Hāṭakeśvara Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion is measured by sincerity, not riches; even simple offerings, made with faith in a sacred place, become spiritually potent.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The worship occurs in the chapter’s Hāṭakeśvara Kṣetra setting, reinforcing the kṣetra’s sanctity for Devī-pūjā and merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Making an earthen image (mṛnmayī) and offering fruits and roots as upacāras is presented as an acceptable form of Mahānavamī worship when resources are limited.