Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । ततश्च शैलजा देवी चिक्रीड सुभगा तदा । देवगंधर्वकन्याभिर्नगकिंनरसंभवाः । मुनीनां चापि याः कन्यास्ताभिः सार्धं च शोभना

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | tataśca śailajā devī cikrīḍa subhagā tadā | devagaṃdharvakanyābhirnagakiṃnarasaṃbhavāḥ | munīnāṃ cāpi yāḥ kanyāstābhiḥ sārdhaṃ ca śobhanā

Translation

Nārada dit : Alors la bienheureuse Déesse Śailajā (Pārvatī), rayonnante de beauté, s’ébat joyeusement avec les jeunes filles des Devas et des Gandharvas, celles nées parmi les esprits des montagnes et les Kiṃnaras, ainsi qu’avec les filles des sages ; toutes réunies en une compagnie splendide.

Word by Word

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अपादान/क्रमवाचक (then/thereafter)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• शैलजा: the mountain-born (Pārvatī)
• शैलजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैलजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘शैलात् जाता’ (mountain-born)

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• चिक्रीड: played, sported
• चिक्रीड: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्रीड् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुभगा: beautiful, fortunate
• सुभगा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुभगा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• देव-गन्धर्व-कन्याभिः: with the daughters of the Devas and Gandharvas
• देव-गन्धर्व-कन्याभिः: Karana/Sahakari (Instrument/Associate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध: देवगन्धर्वाणां कन्याः); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• नग-किन्नर-सम्भवाः: (those) born of mountain-kinneras
• नग-किन्नर-सम्भवाः: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नग (प्रातिपदिक) + किन्नर (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध: नगकिन्नराणां सम्भवाः = born of mountain-kinneras); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (स्त्रीलिङ्गे ‘सम्भवाः’ इति पाठभेदे सन्दिग्धता)

• मुनीनाम्: of sages
• मुनीनाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (also)

• याः: who/which (f.)
• याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• कन्याः: maidens, daughters
• कन्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ताभिः: with them
• ताभिः: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: सह/समं अर्थे अव्यय (adverb/preposition: together with)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• शोभना: splendid, beautiful
• शोभना: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोभना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (शैलजा-देवी इत्यस्य)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śailajā-sthāna (Himālaya/Kailāsa sphere)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada narrates: Pārvatī, radiant and blessed, plays joyfully with groups of maidens—deva-kanyās, gandharva maidens, kinnarī/nāga-kanyā-like mountain spirits, and daughters of sages—amid a splendid Himalayan grove.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Śailajā (Pārvatī)
• Devas
• Gandharvas
• Kiṃnaras
• Munis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Devī’s līlā reveals auspiciousness (śobhanatā) and harmony among divine and sage-born beings, reminding devotees that the sacred world is ordered around Dharma and beauty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in this verse; it sets a divine scene centered on Śailajā (Pārvatī) in the mountain context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive narrative (līlā) rather than prescriptive.