Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

पितॄणां च गणाः सर्वे पुरःस्था भांति सर्वदा । सर्वे यक्षा भालदेशे किन्नराश्च कपोलयोः

Transliteration

pitṝṇāṃ ca gaṇāḥ sarve puraḥsthā bhāṃti sarvadā | sarve yakṣā bhāladeśe kinnarāśca kapolayoḥ

Translation

Toutes les cohortes des Ancêtres resplendissent sans cesse devant toi. Tous les Yakṣas sont dans la région de ton front, et les Kinnaras sur tes joues.

Word by Word

• पितॄणाम्: of the Pitṛs/ancestors
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• गणाः: groups
• गणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• पुरःस्थाः: standing in front
• पुरःस्थाः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरः (अव्यय) + स्थ (कृदन्त; √स्था)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘पुरः स्थिताः’ (in front)

• भान्ति: shine/appear
• भान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• सर्वदा: always
• सर्वदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• यक्षाः: Yakṣas
• यक्षाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• भालदेशे: in the forehead region
• भालदेशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाल (प्रातिपदिक) + देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘भालस्य देशे’

• किन्नराः: Kinnaras
• किन्नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किन्नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• कपोलयोः: on the two cheeks
• कपोलयोः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपोल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी) द्विवचन (dual); अधिकरण

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual stuti within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; likely a devotee/sage praising Devī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant Devī’s face fills the frame like a sacred mandala: before her shine ancestral hosts; at her forehead cluster Yakṣas; on her cheeks appear Kinnaras, all rendered as luminous attendants.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Yakṣas
• Kinnaras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devī encompasses ancestors and all classes of beings; honoring her also honors lineage (pitṛ) and cosmic guardians.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not explicitly identified in this verse; it remains within the Tīrthamāhātmya’s devotional cosmology.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the mention of Pitṛ-hosts suggests an underlying respect for ancestral dharma (pitṛ-tarpaṇa), but it is not stated here.