Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

कपर्दशिरसं देवं शूलहस्तं पिनाकिनम् । कपालखट्वांगधरं दशहस्तं किरीटिनम्

Transliteration

kapardaśirasaṃ devaṃ śūlahastaṃ pinākinam | kapālakhaṭvāṃgadharaṃ daśahastaṃ kirīṭinam

Translation

Sang Dewa hendaknya divisualkan: berambut gimbal di kepala, memegang triśūla, Sang Pinākin pemilik busur Pināka; membawa tengkorak dan tongkat khaṭvāṅga—berlengan sepuluh serta bertajuk mahkota.

Word by Word

• kaparda-śirasam: having matted hair (on the head)
• kaparda-śirasam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaparda (प्रातिपदिक) + śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (कपर्दयुक्तं शिरः यस्य)

• devam: the god (Śiva)
• devam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• śūla-hastam: holding a trident
• śūla-hastam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śūla (प्रातिपदिक) + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (शूलः हस्ते यस्य)

• pinākinam: bearing the bow Pināka
• pinākinam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pinākin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तद्धितान्त (possessor)

• kapāla-khaṭvāṅga-dharam: bearing a skull and a khaṭvāṅga staff
• kapāla-khaṭvāṅga-dharam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kapāla (प्रातिपदिक) + khaṭvāṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कपालं च खट्वाङ्गं च धारयति)

• daśa-hastam: ten-handed
• daśa-hastam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (प्रातिपदिक) + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—द्विगुः (दश हस्ताः यस्य)

• kirīṭinam: crowned/diademed
• kirīṭinam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kirīṭin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तद्धितान्त (possessor)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A majestic Śiva appears in a visionary epiphany: matted locks, trident raised, Pināka bow, skull and khaṭvāṅga, ten arms fanning outward, crowned—both fearsome and protective.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Pinākin, Śūlahasta)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Meditation becomes steady when the deity is contemplated with clear sacred attributes (lakṣaṇas), anchoring devotion and inner focus.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is an iconographic passage within a tīrtha-glorifying chapter, but the verse itself describes Śiva’s form rather than a named location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dhyāna/visualization of Śiva with specific emblems (śūla, Pināka, kapāla, khaṭvāṅga) as part of worship.