Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

न तस्या जन्मनि ब्रह्मा न नाशाय महेश्वरः । पालनाय न गोविंदस्तां त्वां स्तोष्याम्यहं कथम्

Transliteration

na tasyā janmani brahmā na nāśāya maheśvaraḥ | pālanāya na goviṃdastāṃ tvāṃ stoṣyāmyahaṃ katham

Translation

Pour Elle, il n’est point de Brahmā pour donner la naissance, point de Maheśvara pour causer la destruction, ni de Govinda pour maintenir. Comment donc pourrais-je te louer, Toi qui es cette Réalité même ?

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• जन्मनि: in (her) birth
• जन्मनि: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• न: nor
• न: Sambandha (Negation particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध

• नाशाय: for destruction
• नाशाय: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे (for destruction)

• महेश्वरः: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• पालनाय: for preservation
• पालनाय: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पालन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे (for protection/maintenance)

• न: nor
• न: Sambandha (Negation particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध

• गोविन्दः: Govinda (Viṣṇu)
• गोविन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोविन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• ताम्: that (one), her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• स्तोष्यामि: I shall praise
• स्तोष्यामि: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तु (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Interrogative adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb: how)

Speaker

Viṣakanyā (the poison-maiden), continuing her hymn to Devī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Devī stands as the absolute, with faint symbolic representations of Brahmā (lotus), Viṣṇu (conch/disc), and Maheśvara (trident) shown as secondary emanations, while the devotee confesses inability to praise adequately.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Govinda (Viṣṇu)
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devī is affirmed as the ground of all cosmic functions; even the Trimūrti roles are secondary to her supreme reality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

As part of Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya (Adhyāya 62), the tīrtha’s sanctity is conveyed through the supreme praise of Devī, not by a direct site-name in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; it is a devotional-theological statement within stuti.