Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

ततस्तूर्णं समादाय मृत्तिकां स नदीतटात् । चकार भारतीं देवीं स्वयमेव चतुर्भुजाम्

Transliteration

tatastūrṇaṃ samādāya mṛttikāṃ sa nadītaṭāt | cakāra bhāratīṃ devīṃ svayameva caturbhujām

Translation

Alors, prenant promptement de l’argile sur la rive du fleuve, il façonna lui-même une image de la Déesse Bhāratī, à quatre bras.

Word by Word

• ततः: thereupon
• ततः: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/हेतुवाचक (then/thereupon)

• तूर्णम्: quickly
• तूर्णम्: Kriya-vishesana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तूर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner/speed)

• समादाय: having taken
• समादाय: Kriya (Subordinate action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + दा (धातु) + क्त्वा (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त; 'having taken up'

• मृत्तिकाम्: clay
• मृत्तिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्तिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• नदीतटात्: from the riverbank
• नदीतटात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नद्याः तटः)

• चकार: made
• चकार: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• भारतीम्: Bhāratī (Sarasvatī)
• भारतीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• देवीम्: the goddess
• देवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; भारतीम् इत्यस्य अप्पोजिशन

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Karta (Emphatic agent/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मवाचक (reflexive adverb)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis/only)

• चतुर्भुजाम्: four-armed
• चतुर्भुजाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् + भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (चत्वारः भुजाः यस्याः सा)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in a māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī-tīrtha (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the riverbank, the king kneads sacred clay and shapes a four-armed Sarasvatī/Bhāratī image, focused and reverent; attendants gather offerings nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Bhāratī (Sarasvatī)
• Riverbank (nadītaṭa)
• Mahīpati (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion becomes tangible through sincere effort—creating and worshipping a simple image can be spiritually potent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sacred riverbank tīrtha connected with Sarasvatī/Bhāratī in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Collecting riverbank clay and fashioning a deity image (mṛttikā-mūrti) for worship.