Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

मृणालगौरं गजचर्मवाससं गंगातरंगो क्षितमौलिदेशम् । नागेंद्रहारावलिकंकणोर्मिकाकिरीटकोट्यंगदकुंडलोज्ज्वलम्

Transliteration

mṛṇālagauraṃ gajacarmavāsasaṃ gaṃgātaraṃgo kṣitamaulideśam | nāgeṃdrahārāvalikaṃkaṇormikākirīṭakoṭyaṃgadakuṃḍalojjvalam

Translation

Pâle comme la fibre du lotus, vêtu d’une peau d’éléphant ; portant sur sa tête les flots de la rivière Gaṅgā. Il resplendissait d’un collier du roi des serpents, de rangées de bracelets et d’armilles, et de couronnes et boucles d’oreilles étincelantes.

Word by Word

• मृणालगौरम्: white like a lotus-stalk
• मृणालगौरम्: Karman (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृणाल + गौर (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (मृणाल इव गौरः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• गजचर्मवाससम्: clad in elephant-skin
• गजचर्मवाससम्: Karman (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गज + चर्म + वासस् (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (गजस्य चर्म वासः यस्य), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• गङ्गातरङ्गः: (with) the waves of the Gaṅgā
• गङ्गातरङ्गः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + तरङ्ग (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (गङ्गायाः तरङ्गः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (विशेषणवत् प्रयोगः)

• क्षितमौलिदेशम्: with the earth as a crown/at the head
• क्षितमौलिदेशम्: Karman (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षिति + मौलि + देश (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (क्षितिः मौलिः यस्य देशः/मौलिदेशः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (bearing earth as head-ornament)

• नागेन्द्रहारावलिकंकणोर्मिकाकिरीटकोट्यंगदकुंडलोज्ज्वलम्: shining with serpent-king garlands, rows of necklaces, bracelets, rings, crowns, diadems, armlets, and earrings
• नागेन्द्रहारावलिकंकणोर्मिकाकिरीटकोट्यंगदकुंडलोज्ज्वलम्: Karman (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नागेन्द्र + हार + आवलि + कंकण + ऊर्मिका + किरीट + कोटि + अङ्गद + कुण्डल + उज्ज्वल (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: दीर्घ-तत्पुरुषसमास (विभिन्नाभरणैः उज्ज्वलः), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Gaṅgādhara sambandha)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, pale like lotus fiber, wearing elephant hide; Gaṅgā’s rippling stream crowns his head; serpent-king garland on chest; wrists and arms ringed with ornaments; crown and earrings gleam—ascetic majesty fused with regal brilliance.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Gaṅgā
• Nāgendra (serpent-king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It magnifies Śiva’s transcendence through sacred symbols—Gaṅgā, serpent, and ascetic attire—uniting purity, power, and renunciation in one vision.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is specified; Gaṅgā is mentioned as a sacred river associated with Śiva’s iconography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse serves as a meditative visualization of Śiva.