Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

एकदा गालवमुनिः शिष्यैर्बहुभिरावृतः

Transliteration

ekadā gālavamuniḥ śiṣyairbahubhirāvṛtaḥ

Translation

Un jour, le sage Gālava vint, entouré de nombreux disciples.

Word by Word

• एकदा: once
• एकदा: Kriya-Visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• गालवमुनिः: the sage Gālava
• गालवमुनिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव + मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—गालवः मुनिः (proper name + title)

• शिष्यैः: by disciples
• शिष्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• बहुभिः: many
• बहुभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (शिष्यैः)

• आवृतः: surrounded
• आवृतः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + वृ (धातु) → आवृत (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Unspecified in excerpt (Tīrthamāhātmya narrator voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A venerable sage (Gālava) approaches a sacred locale, encircled by many disciples carrying kamaṇḍalus and daṇḍas; the atmosphere is anticipatory, as if a tīrtha’s glory is about to be proclaimed.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The coming of a realized sage signals an opportunity for merit through reverence, service, and satsanga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The excerpt does not name a specific tīrtha in this verse; it introduces a narrative episode within the Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly here; it sets the scene for hospitality and honoring a sage.