Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ततो गौरीसमादेशाल्लेपालब्धौ नृपोत्तम । मत्तं गजवरं दृष्ट्वा शिरस्तस्य समानयत्

Transliteration

tato gaurīsamādeśāllepālabdhau nṛpottama | mattaṃ gajavaraṃ dṛṣṭvā śirastasya samānayat

Translation

Alors, sur l’ordre de Gaurī, la pâte ayant été obtenue, ô roi excellent, voyant le meilleur des éléphants en rut, il en rapporta la tête.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तर/हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (then/thereupon)

• गौरीसमादेशात्: from Gaurī's command
• गौरीसमादेशात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौरी + समादेश (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गौर्याः समादेशः = Gaurī's command)

• लेप: paste
• लेप: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लेप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अलब्धौ: when (it was) not obtained / in the non-obtaining
• अलब्धौ: Adhikarana (Condition locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अलब्ध (गम्/लभ्-धातु, क्त; नञ्-पूर्वक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (not obtained)

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (उत्तमः नृपः)

• मत्तम्: intoxicated/mad
• मत्तम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मत्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गजवरम्: a splendid/best elephant
• गजवरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज + वर (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (वरः गजः)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

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

• समानयत्: brought
• समानयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; सम्-आ-उपसर्ग (brought together/brought)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice, likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On Gaurī’s instruction, the king (or chief agent) obtains the unguent; seeing a rutting elephant, he brings its head as the needed head-material.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī (Gaurī)
• Elephant

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Obedience to divine instruction (ājñā) is portrayed as a dharmic act that serves a higher cosmic purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting belongs to the Arbuda Khaṇḍa narrative milieu; this verse itself does not praise a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative action describing the procurement of a head.