Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्नियोजयामास गात्रे लेपसमुद्भवे । महद्धीदं शिरो भावि पुत्र कस्मात्त्वयाऽहृतम्

Transliteration

tasminniyojayāmāsa gātre lepasamudbhave | mahaddhīdaṃ śiro bhāvi putra kasmāttvayā'hṛtam

Translation

Da setzte sie es auf den Leib, der aus der Salbe hervorgegangen war. „Mein Sohn, dieses Haupt ist wahrlich sehr groß—warum hast du ein solches herbeigebracht?“

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in that (place/thing)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (Singular); अधिकरण (locative)

• नियोजयामास: he caused to be placed/appointed
• नियोजयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + युज् (धातु) causative (णिच्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• गात्रे: on the body/limb
• गात्रे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (Singular)

• लेप-समुद्भवे: arisen from the paste (smearing)
• लेप-समुद्भवे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लेप (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (lepasya samudbhavaḥ = arising from paste)

• महत्: great
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Emphasis (Nipata/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• भावि: to be / future
• भावि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भू (धातु) → भाविन्/भावि (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भविष्यदर्थक-विशेषण (future-oriented adjective), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुत्र: O son
• पुत्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन (Singular)

• कस्मात्: from what cause? why?
• कस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन (Singular); हेतौ/कारणे (ablative of cause)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन (Singular)

• आहृतम्: brought/fetched
• आहृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle/कृदन्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speaker

Narrator with embedded direct speech of Pārvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī fits the elephant head onto the unguent-born body; she remarks with maternal surprise that the head is very large and questions why such a head was brought.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī (Gaurī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Creation is both wondrous and deliberate; even apparent imperfections are integrated into divine design.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is directly glorified in this verse; it continues the Arbuda Khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes the act of joining head and body.