Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

दोषत्रयसमाक्रान्त जननैः श्रेयसप्रदा । महालक्ष्मीर्महाकालीमहादेवी महेश्वरी

Transliteration

doṣatrayasamākrānta jananaiḥ śreyasapradā | mahālakṣmīrmahākālīmahādevī maheśvarī

Translation

To embodied beings born under the grip of the three faults, you grant true welfare. You are Mahālakṣmī, Mahākālī, Mahādevī, the great Sovereign Lady (Maheśvarī).

Word by Word

• doṣa-traya-samākrāntā: afflicted by the three faults
• doṣa-traya-samākrāntā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: doṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (त्रय प्रातिपदिक) + sam-ā-√kram (क्रम् धातु) (कृदन्त: क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (दोषत्रय) + उपपद-तत्पुरुष (…-समाक्रान्त); क्त-कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (feminine nominative singular; overpowered/afflicted by the three दोष-s)

• jananaiḥ: by births, by begettings
• jananaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janana (जनन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन (neuter instrumental plural)

• śreyasa-pradā: bestowing welfare
• śreyasa-pradā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreyas (श्रेयस् प्रातिपदिक) + pra-√dā (दा धातु) (कृदन्त: ट/ण्वुल्-प्रायः ‘प्रदा’)
• Form: तत्पुरुष; कृदन्त (प्रदा = giving); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (feminine nominative singular)

• mahā-lakṣmīḥ: Mahālakṣmī
• mahā-lakṣmīḥ: Pradhāna-nāma (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣmī (लक्ष्मी प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (feminine nominative singular; epithet)

• mahā-kālī: Mahākālī
• mahā-kālī: Pradhāna-nāma (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + kālī (काली प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (feminine nominative singular; epithet)

• mahā-devī: Mahādevī
• mahā-devī: Pradhāna-nāma (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + devī (देवी प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (feminine nominative singular; epithet)

• maheśvarī: Maheśvarī
• maheśvarī: Pradhāna-nāma (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśvarī (महेश्वरी प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (feminine nominative singular; epithet)

Speaker

Devas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī manifests in a composite tri-form: Lakṣmī-like auspiciousness, Kālī-like transformative power, and Mahādevī’s regal sovereignty; devotees with ailments and worries receive blessing, turning toward welfare.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Mahālakṣmī
• Mahākālī
• Mahādevī
• Maheśvarī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when beings are bound by fundamental faults, devotion to Devī leads to śreyas—true well-being and spiritual uplift.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No location is specified in this verse; it strengthens the māhātmya by invoking Devī’s universal salvific power.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicit; the verse functions as nāma-stuti (praise through divine names).