Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

श्रीविष्णुरुवाच । महाव्रते महादेवि महादेवप्रिया सदा । त्वं हि सत्त्वरजःस्था च तामसी शक्तिरुत्तमा

Transliteration

śrīviṣṇuruvāca | mahāvrate mahādevi mahādevapriyā sadā | tvaṃ hi sattvarajaḥsthā ca tāmasī śaktiruttamā

Translation

શ્રીવિષ્ણુએ કહ્યું—હે મહાવ્રતધારિણી મહાદેવી, સદા મહાદેવપ્રિયા! તું સત્ત્વ અને રજમાં સ્થિત છે, અને તમસની પણ પરમ ઉત્તમ શક્તિ છે।

Word by Word

• śrī-viṣṇuḥ: Śrī Viṣṇu
• śrī-viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (honorific epithet), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• mahā-vrate: O great-vowed one
• mahā-vrate: Sambodhana (Address/संबोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (Vocative/संबोधन), एकवचन

• mahā-devi: O great goddess
• mahā-devi: Sambodhana (Address/संबोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन, एकवचन

• mahādeva-priyā: beloved of Mahādeva
• mahādeva-priyā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahādeva (प्रातिपदिक) + priyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('dear to Mahādeva'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of tvam)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, एकवचन (2nd person pronoun used as subject)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha/Emphasis (Nipāta)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/indeed)

• sattva-rajaḥ-sthā: abiding in sattva and rajas
• sattva-rajaḥ-sthā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sattva (प्रातिपदिक) + rajas (प्रातिपदिक) + sthā (प्रातिपदिक from √sthā)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (locative/associative sense: 'situated in/characterized by sattva and rajas'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of tvam)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tāmasī: tamasic
• tāmasī: Karta (Predicate qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāmasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of śaktiḥ)

• śaktiḥ: power, energy
• śaktiḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-समाना)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uttamā: supreme
• uttamā: Karta (Predicate qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttamā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of śaktiḥ)

Speaker

Viṣṇu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (Maheśvarī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu praises the Goddess as Mahāvratā and Mahādeva-priyā, describing her as the supreme power manifesting through the three guṇas; Devī appears radiant, encompassing multiple hues symbolizing guṇas.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Goddess is affirmed as the all-encompassing śakti behind the three guṇas, worthy of reverence beyond sectarian limits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it functions as theological praise within a tīrtha-māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the passage is stotra-style praise.