Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । ततश्च शैलजा देवी चिक्रीड सुभगा तदा । देवगंधर्वकन्याभिर्नगकिंनरसंभवाः । मुनीनां चापि याः कन्यास्ताभिः सार्धं च शोभना

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | tataśca śailajā devī cikrīḍa subhagā tadā | devagaṃdharvakanyābhirnagakiṃnarasaṃbhavāḥ | munīnāṃ cāpi yāḥ kanyāstābhiḥ sārdhaṃ ca śobhanā

Translation

നാരദൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിനുശേഷം സൌഭാഗ്യവതിയായ ശൈലജാദേവി അന്നേരം ക്രീഡിച്ചു; ദേവ-ഗന്ധർവ്വകന്ന്യകളോടും, പർവ്വതജന്യ കിന്നരികളോടും, മുനിമാരുടെ പുത്രിമാരോടും കൂടി—അവരോടൊപ്പമിരുന്ന് അവൾ അത്യന്തം ശോഭിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अपादान/क्रमवाचक (then/thereafter)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• शैलजा: the mountain-born (Pārvatī)
• शैलजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैलजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘शैलात् जाता’ (mountain-born)

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• चिक्रीड: played, sported
• चिक्रीड: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्रीड् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुभगा: beautiful, fortunate
• सुभगा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुभगा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• देव-गन्धर्व-कन्याभिः: with the daughters of the Devas and Gandharvas
• देव-गन्धर्व-कन्याभिः: Karana/Sahakari (Instrument/Associate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध: देवगन्धर्वाणां कन्याः); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• नग-किन्नर-सम्भवाः: (those) born of mountain-kinneras
• नग-किन्नर-सम्भवाः: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नग (प्रातिपदिक) + किन्नर (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध: नगकिन्नराणां सम्भवाः = born of mountain-kinneras); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (स्त्रीलिङ्गे ‘सम्भवाः’ इति पाठभेदे सन्दिग्धता)

• मुनीनाम्: of sages
• मुनीनाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (also)

• याः: who/which (f.)
• याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• कन्याः: maidens, daughters
• कन्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ताभिः: with them
• ताभिः: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: सह/समं अर्थे अव्यय (adverb/preposition: together with)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• शोभना: splendid, beautiful
• शोभना: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोभना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (शैलजा-देवी इत्यस्य)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śailajā-sthāna (Himālaya/Kailāsa sphere)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada narrates: Pārvatī, radiant and blessed, plays joyfully with groups of maidens—deva-kanyās, gandharva maidens, kinnarī/nāga-kanyā-like mountain spirits, and daughters of sages—amid a splendid Himalayan grove.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Śailajā (Pārvatī)
• Devas
• Gandharvas
• Kiṃnaras
• Munis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Devī’s līlā reveals auspiciousness (śobhanatā) and harmony among divine and sage-born beings, reminding devotees that the sacred world is ordered around Dharma and beauty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in this verse; it sets a divine scene centered on Śailajā (Pārvatī) in the mountain context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive narrative (līlā) rather than prescriptive.