Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

गन्धर्वराजो नगरं त्यक्त्वा मेरुं गतो नृप । ताः कन्या यौवनोपेता रूपौदार्यसमन्विताः

Transliteration

gandharvarājo nagaraṃ tyaktvā meruṃ gato nṛpa | tāḥ kanyā yauvanopetā rūpaudāryasamanvitāḥ

Translation

Ô roi, le seigneur des Gandharvas quitta la cité et se rendit au Méru. Ces jeunes filles, pleines de jeunesse, parées de beauté et de noble excellence, demeurèrent là.

Word by Word

• गन्धर्वराजः: the king of the Gandharvas
• गन्धर्वराजः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व + राज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गन्धर्वाणां राजा)

• नगरम्: the city
• नगरम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नगर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• त्यक्त्वा: having abandoned
• त्यक्त्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वक्रिया; धातुः त्यज् (परस्मैपदी)

• मेरुम्: Mount Meru
• मेरुम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गतः: went / having gone
• गतः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; धातुः गम्

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• ताः: those (girls)
• ताः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• कन्याः: maidens
• कन्याः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• यौवनोपेताः: endowed with youth
• यौवनोपेताः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यौवन + उपेत (प्रातिपदिक; उप-इ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तृतीया/सह-भावार्थे तत्पुरुषः (यौवनेन उपेताः = endowed with youth)

• रूपौदार्यसमन्विताः: possessing beauty and nobility
• रूपौदार्यसमन्विताः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रूप + औदार्य + समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक; सम्-अन्-वि-इ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समाहार/निर्देशार्थे तत्पुरुषः (रूपेण औदार्येण च समन्विताः)

Speaker

Vyāsa (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Meru

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial Gandharva-king departs a jeweled city toward Mount Meru; below, a group of youthful maidens, radiant and ornamented, remain in a liminal moment awaiting dharmic resolution.

Characters & Entities

• Gandharvarāja
• Gandharvanagara
• Meru
• Nṛpa (king, listener implied)
• Kanyās (maidens)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In crisis, even powerful rulers seek higher refuge (Meru symbolizing cosmic stability), while dharma must still address the fate of those left behind.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mount Meru is invoked as a supreme sacred cosmic mountain; it functions as a sanctified refuge-point in Purāṇic geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it sets up the subsequent dharma-related action concerning the maidens.