Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

देहार्धधारिणी देवि सदा त्वं शूलधारिणः । तदैकस्मिन्नते कस्मान्न नता त्वं वदस्व मे

Transliteration

dehārdhadhāriṇī devi sadā tvaṃ śūladhāriṇaḥ | tadaikasminnate kasmānna natā tvaṃ vadasva me

Translation

O Goddess who bears half the body of Śiva, you are ever one with the Trident-bearer. Why then, when I bowed to him alone, did you not accept my reverence? Tell me.

Word by Word

• देहार्धधारिणी: she who bears half (his) body
• देहार्धधारिणी: Karta (Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deha-ardha-dhāriṇī (प्रातिपदिक; deha + ardha + dhāriṇī)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (देवि/पार्वती) — ‘देहस्य अर्धं धारयति’

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (नित्यत्ववाचक adverb)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• शूलधारिणः: of the trident-bearer (Śiva)
• शूलधारिणः: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūla-dhārin (प्रातिपदिक; śūla + dhārin)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; ‘शूलधारिन्’ (Śiva)

• तत्: then/so
• तत्: Discourse connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् (correlative particle) — ‘तद्/then/so’

• एकस्मिन्: on one (occasion)
• एकस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Time/occasion)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘एकस्मिन्’ = ‘in one (occasion)’

• नते: when (I was) bowed down
• नते: Adhikaraṇa (Locative absolute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nata (कृदन्त; √nam (नम्) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘नते (सति)’—locative absolute sense: ‘when (I was) bowed’

• कस्मात्: why
• कस्मात्: Hetu-prashna (Interrogative cause)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय; मूलतः ‘किम्’ पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपम्—‘कस्मात्’ (why/from what reason)

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध)

• नता: bowed (down)
• नता: Kriyā (Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nata (कृदन्त; √nam (नम्) + क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘नता (अभूः)’—predicative with tvam

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• वदस्व: tell, speak
• वदस्व: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad (वद् धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradāna (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान) एकवचन (enclitic)

Speaker

King (addressing Devī/Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king gestures respectfully while addressing Pārvatī as the half-body of Śiva, pointing to the divine couple’s unity and asking why his bow to Śiva alone did not include her.

Characters & Entities

• Ardhanārīśvara concept (dehārdhadhāriṇī)
• Śiva (Śūladhārin)
• Pārvatī (Devī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva and Śakti are inseparable; devotion that ignores one aspect is considered incomplete.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is theological within a tīrthamāhātmya frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, worship should honor both Śiva and Devī, not Śiva alone.