Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

पृथ्वीमपश्च तेजश्च वायुमाकाशमेव च । तेषु संयोजयामास मृत्पिंडेषु निधाय सा

Transliteration

pṛthvīmapaśca tejaśca vāyumākāśameva ca | teṣu saṃyojayāmāsa mṛtpiṃḍeṣu nidhāya sā

Translation

Elle y plaça ensuite la terre, l’eau, le feu, le vent et aussi l’éther ; et, les déposant dans les mottes d’argile, elle unit ainsi les cinq éléments.

Word by Word

• पृथ्वीम्: earth
• पृथ्वीम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथ्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• अपः: waters
• अपः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन (अपः)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक

• तेजः: fire/energy
• तेजः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (तेजः)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक

• वायुम्: wind
• वायुम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आकाशम्: space/ether
• आकाशम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारणार्थक

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक

• तेषु: in/into those
• तेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (Locative), बहुवचन

• संयोजयामास: she combined/joined
• संयोजयामास: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-युज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्; causative sense in stem (योजय-) = ‘caused to join/combined’

• मृत्पिण्डेषु: in the clay lumps
• मृत्पिण्डेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्-पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), बहुवचन; समासः (मृदा: पिण्डाः)

• निधाय: having placed
• निधाय: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), ‘having placed/deposited’

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrative voice; speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Five clay lumps become vessels for the five elements; subtle iconography shows earth (green/brown), water (blue), fire (red/gold), wind (white/grey swirls), ether (deep indigo space) merging into a unified consecrated cluster.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Girijā/Pārvatī implied)
• Pañcabhūta (earth, water, fire, air, ether)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The world’s elements are treated as sacred powers that can be ritually harmonized, showing the Purāṇic view that matter can become a vehicle of divinity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader chapter is a tīrtha-glorification in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, but the tīrtha name is not present in this single verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A consecratory act of installing the five great elements (pañcabhūtas) into prepared clay forms.