Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

उपायं सुमहद्ध्यात्वा जाह्नवीसंगसंभवम् । तेनादिष्टा गणाः सर्वे नंदिभृङ्गिपुरःसराः

Transliteration

upāyaṃ sumahaddhyātvā jāhnavīsaṃgasaṃbhavam | tenādiṣṭā gaṇāḥ sarve naṃdibhṛṅgipuraḥsarāḥ

Translation

Nachdem er einen überaus großen Plan ersonnen hatte, durch den die Vereinigung mit Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā) zustande kommen konnte, befahl er allen Gaṇas, angeführt von Nandin und Bhṛṅgin.

Word by Word

• उपायम्: a means/plan
• उपायम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचनम्

• सुमहत्: very great
• सुमहत्: Modifier (of upāyam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् ‘उपायम्’ इत्यस्य; समासः: सु-महत् (कर्मधारयः/उपपद-समासवत्)

• ध्यात्वा: having considered
• ध्यात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्तम् (gerund/absolutive) ‘having meditated/considered’

• जाह्नवीसंगसंभवम्: arising from association with Jahnavi (Ganga)
• जाह्नवीसंगसंभवम्: Modifier (of upāyam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक) + सङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् ‘उपायम्’ इत्यस्य; समासः: जाह्नवी-सङ्ग-सम्भव (तत्पुरुषः) ‘जाह्नव्याः सङ्गात् सम्भवः’

• तेन: by him/thereby
• तेन: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया) एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• आदिष्टाः: were ordered
• आदिष्टाः: Kriya (Passive predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग) + दिश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तम् (past passive participle) पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) बहुवचनम्; ‘commanded/ordered’

• गणाः: attendants/hosts
• गणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) बहुवचनम्

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Modifier (of gaṇāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् ‘गणाः’ इत्यस्य

• नन्दि-भृङ्गि-पुरःसराः: with Nandi and Bhṛṅgī as leaders
• नन्दि-भृङ्गि-पुरःसराः: Modifier (of gaṇāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नन्दि (प्रातिपदिक) + भृङ्गि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरःसर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् ‘गणाः’ इत्यस्य; समासः: नन्दि-भृङ्गि-पुरःसर (तत्पुरुषः) ‘नन्दि-भृङ्गी पुरःसरौ येषाम्’ (अग्रगामिनौ)

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Proposed kuṇḍa of Arbuda (Gaṅgā-saṅgama enabling)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpasattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, after deep contemplation, issues a command; Nandin and Bhṛṅgin stand at the fore, with ranks of gaṇas ready—some carrying tools, others bearing stones and ritual vessels—against the rugged Arbuda slope.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Gaṅgā (Jāhnavī)
• Gaṇas
• Nandin
• Bhṛṅgin

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is shaped through purposeful divine action; the Lord’s attendants become instruments for establishing pilgrim-benefiting tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arbuda’s Acaleśvara area, where arrangements are made for Gaṅgā’s association.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not a ritual, but a directive initiating sacred construction—preparing the ground for a water-based holy spot (kuṇḍa/tīrtha).