Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

सुधावदातं सूर्याभं कैलासशिखरोपमम् । सुप्रलंबकरं मत्तं चतुर्दंतं महागजम्

Transliteration

sudhāvadātaṃ sūryābhaṃ kailāsaśikharopamam | supralaṃbakaraṃ mattaṃ caturdaṃtaṃ mahāgajam

Translation

Un grand éléphant—blanc comme le nectar, resplendissant comme le soleil, pareil au sommet du Kailāsa; à la trompe très longue, en rut (musth) et pourvu de quatre défenses.

Word by Word

• सुधा-वदातम्: white/pure like nectar
• सुधा-वदातम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुधा (प्रातिपदिक) + वदात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adjectival)

• सूर्य-आभम्: sun-like, radiant
• सूर्य-आभम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + आभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• कैलास-शिखर-उपमम्: comparable to the peak of Kailāsa
• कैलास-शिखर-उपमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कैलास (प्रातिपदिक) + शिखर (प्रातिपदिक) + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• सु-प्रलम्ब-करम्: having very long trunk/hand
• सु-प्रलम्ब-करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + प्रलम्ब (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• मत्तम्: intoxicated, rutting
• मत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मत्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• चतुर्-दन्तम्: four-tusked
• चतुर्-दन्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक/संख्याशब्द) + दन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• महा-गजम्: a great elephant
• महा-गजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + गज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A colossal celestial elephant, milk-white like nectar and blazing like the sun, stands like a moving Kailāsa-peak; its trunk hangs long, it is in musth, and it bears four tusks—an awe-inspiring omen in a sacred landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Kailāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic māhātmyas use auspicious, elevated imagery to signal a divine turning point—an approaching revelation or test.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kailāsa is referenced as a standard of sublime grandeur; the immediate tīrtha of the chapter is not named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse is a descriptive (lakṣaṇa) passage introducing a majestic elephant within the narrative.