Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । गौरी चतुर्भुजा प्रोक्ता दृश्यते परमेश्वरी । पञ्चपिंडा कथं जाता ह्येतं नः संशयं वद

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | gaurī caturbhujā proktā dṛśyate parameśvarī | pañcapiṃḍā kathaṃ jātā hyetaṃ naḥ saṃśayaṃ vada

Translation

Les sages dirent : Gaurī, la Déesse suprême, est dite pourvue de quatre bras, et on la voit ainsi. Comment donc est née la forme appelée Pañcapiṇḍā ? Dis-le-nous et dissipe notre doute.

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: the sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• गौरी: Gaurī
• गौरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• चतुर्भुजा: four-armed
• चतुर्भुजा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् + भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘having four arms’ (गौर्याः विशेषणम्)

• प्रोक्ता: is described
• प्रोक्ता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त (भूतकर्मणि), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘is said/has been described’

• दृश्यते: is seen; appears
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे ‘is seen/appears’

• परमेश्वरी: the Supreme Goddess
• परमेश्वरी: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम + ईश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘the Supreme Goddess’

• पञ्चपिण्डा: (as) five lumps (pañcapiṇḍā)
• पञ्चपिण्डा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास ‘(the) five lumps/balls’ (as a named form)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रश्नार्थक-प्रकार)

• जाता: arose; was born
• जाता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त (भूतकाले), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘was born/arose’

• हि: indeed; please
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; कारण/निश्चय/अनुनय)

• एतम्: this
• एतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘this’ (संशयम् विशेषयति)

• नः: our; of us
• नः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध) बहुवचन-एकादेश (enclitic); ‘of us/our’

• संशयम्: doubt
• संशयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• वद: tell
• वद: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcapiṇḍā (Gaurī form/title)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ (sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of ṛṣis questions the narrator before a shrine where Gaurī is seen in her four-armed form; beside it, an enigmatic emblematic representation of ‘Pañcapiṇḍā’ (five sacred lumps/stones) is shown, prompting wonder.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Gaurī (Parameśvarī)
• Pañcapiṇḍā/Pañcapiṇḍikā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching invites inquiry: understanding the deity’s forms deepens faith and right worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The question pertains to the localized shrine-form ‘Pañcapiṇḍā/Pañcapiṇḍikā’ within this Nāgara-khaṇḍa tīrtha narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it initiates the explanatory legend about the deity’s form.