Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

सा तथेति प्रतिज्ञाय प्रविष्टा सत्वरं मुखे । संशोषणी महाविद्या तस्यर्षेर्भावितात्मनः

Transliteration

sā tatheti pratijñāya praviṣṭā satvaraṃ mukhe | saṃśoṣaṇī mahāvidyā tasyarṣerbhāvitātmanaḥ

Translation

Elle promit : «Qu’il en soit ainsi», puis entra promptement dans sa bouche — la grande Vidyā nommée Saṃśoṣaṇī — en ce ṛṣi dont l’âme, façonnée par l’ascèse, était devenue consacrée.

Word by Word

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• इति: thus/so (quoting)
• इति: Sambandha/Quotation marker (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्ति/उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• प्रतिज्ञाय: having promised
• प्रतिज्ञाय: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति√ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); अव्ययभाव; ‘having promised’

• प्रविष्टा: entered
• प्रविष्टा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√विश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle used actively); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सत्वरम्: quickly
• सत्वरम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सत्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• मुखे: in the mouth
• मुखे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• संशोषणी: the desiccating one (name of a spell)
• संशोषणी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम्+√शुष् (धातु) + णी (प्रातिपदिक-निर्माण)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम (feminine agent noun)

• महाविद्या: the great magical lore
• महाविद्या: Apposition/Viśeṣya (विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + विद्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (‘great’ + ‘spell/knowledge’)

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ऋषेः: of the sage
• ऋषेः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भावितात्मनः: of the self-disciplined (sage)
• भावितात्मनः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भावित + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (कर्मधारय-भावः: ‘whose self is purified/imbued’)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; not explicit in this verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant feminine Vidyā-śakti (Saṃśoṣaṇī) as a subtle flame-like presence enters the mouth of a seated ascetic ṛṣi in meditation; aura of mantra-syllables, rosary, kusa grass, and a consecrated fire nearby; gods faintly visible as witnesses in the sky.

Characters & Entities

• Saṃśoṣaṇī Mahāvidyā
• Agastya (seer; implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine powers abide in a purified practitioner; siddhi is portrayed as the fruit of inner cultivation (bhāvitātman) rather than mere ritual.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the chapter’s sacred-geography storyline (tīrtha-māhātmya) by narrating the empowerment that leads to a world-shaping act; no single site is named in the verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Acceptance and ‘entry’ of the Saṃśoṣaṇī Mahāvidyā—an idiom for receiving mantra-śakti through divine assent.