Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

निजगात्रं ततो देवी सुसंमर्द्य मुहुर्मुहुः । मलमाहृत्य तं कृत्स्नं चक्रे नागमुखं ततः

Transliteration

nijagātraṃ tato devī susaṃmardya muhurmuhuḥ | malamāhṛtya taṃ kṛtsnaṃ cakre nāgamukhaṃ tataḥ

Translation

Kemudian Sang Dewī berulang kali menggosok tubuhnya sendiri; menghimpun seluruh kotoran (kerikan) itu, lalu darinya ia membentuk suatu makhluk bermuka ular.

Word by Word

• निजगात्रम्: her own body
• निजगात्रम्: Karman (Object of सुसंमर्द्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज + गात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—निजं गात्रम् (her own body)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/कारणसूचक (then/thereupon)

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सुसंमर्द्य: having thoroughly rubbed
• सुसंमर्द्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + मृद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); उपसर्गः सु + सम्; ‘well-rubbing/pressing’

• मुहुः: again and again
• मुहुः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Frequency)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (repeatedly)

• मुहुः: again and again
• मुहुः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Frequency)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (repeatedly)

• मलम्: impurity, dirt
• मलम्: Karman (Object of आहृत्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आहृत्य: having taken/collected
• आहृत्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिकक्रिया

• तम्: him/that (mass)
• तम्: Karman (Object of चक्रे)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (him/that)

• कृत्स्नम्: entire, whole
• कृत्स्नम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of तम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत्स्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (entire/whole)

• चक्रे: made, fashioned
• चक्रे: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• नागमुखम्: a serpent-face
• नागमुखम्: Karman (Object complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—नागस्य मुखम् (a serpent-face)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रमसूचक (thereupon/then)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas (dvijāḥ) implied from prior verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī rubs her body repeatedly, gathers the scrapings (mala), and fashions from it a serpent-faced being—an uncanny birth of a guardian figure within the temple precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇas portray Devī as the immediate source of protective and regulatory powers—nothing is outside Śakti’s capacity to manifest.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is an origin episode embedded in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha narrative; the particular tīrtha is not named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is mythic narration explaining the emergence of a special attendant/being.