Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अथाऽगत्य गणेशो वै विकरालो भयानकः । लंबोदरो वै नग्नश्च कृष्णदन्तसमुद्भवः

Transliteration

athā'gatya gaṇeśo vai vikarālo bhayānakaḥ | laṃbodaro vai nagnaśca kṛṣṇadantasamudbhavaḥ

Translation

Alors Gaṇeśa survint—terrible d’aspect et redoutable : au ventre proéminent, nu, et se manifestant avec des défenses sombres.

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्ययम् (adverb: then/now)

• āgatya: having come
• āgatya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम्) उपसर्गः आ-
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (absolutive/gerund): ‘having come’

• gaṇeśaḥ: Gaṇeśa
• gaṇeśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; कर्ता

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Emphasis/निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/पादपूरण-अव्ययम् (emphatic particle)

• vikarālaḥ: terrifying
• vikarālaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vikarāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (agreeing with gaṇeśaḥ)

• bhayānakaḥ: fearsome
• bhayānakaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhayānaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• laṃbodaraḥ: Pot-bellied one
• laṃbodaraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: laṃbodara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहिसमासः (लम्बः उदरः यस्य); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; उपनाम/विशेषणवत्

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Emphasis/निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/पादपूरण-अव्ययम् (emphatic particle)

• nagnaḥ: naked
• nagnaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nagna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• kṛṣṇa-danta-samudbhavaḥ: arisen from (his) black tooth/teeth
• kṛṣṇa-danta-samudbhavaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + danta (प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक; from √bhū भू with सम्+उद्)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमासः; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (one whose origin is from a black tooth/teeth)

Speaker

Sūta (narrative description)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaṇeśa suddenly appears in a terrifying, protective aspect—pot-bellied, unclothed, with dark tusks—before the worshipper, amid lamp-lit midnight ritual.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇeśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine manifestations may appear in awe-inspiring forms during sādhana, testing steadiness and sincerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative unfolds within the Adhyāya 154 tīrtha-liṅga setting; the precise geographic name is not given in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it narrates an intervening divine arrival within the ritual sequence.