Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

व्याघ्रचर्मपरीधाना नग्ना ज्वालामुखाः परे । गोकर्णा गजकर्णाश्च बहुपादमुखेक्षणाः

Transliteration

vyāghracarmaparīdhānā nagnā jvālāmukhāḥ pare | gokarṇā gajakarṇāśca bahupādamukhekṣaṇāḥ

Translation

ചിലർ വ്യാഘ്രചർമ്മം ധരിച്ചു; ചിലർ നഗ്നരായി ജ്വാലാമുഖങ്ങളോടെ. ചിലർക്കു പശുവിന്റെപോലുള്ള ചെവികൾ, ചിലർക്കു ആനയുടെപോലുള്ള ചെവികൾ; ചിലർക്കു അനേകം പാദങ്ങളും മുഖങ്ങളും കണ്ണുകളും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• vyāghra-carma-parīdhānāḥ: wearing tiger-skins
• vyāghra-carma-parīdhānāḥ: Karta (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyāghra (प्रातिपदिक) + carman (प्रातिपदिक) + parīdhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः (vyāghracarma parīdhānaṃ yeṣām)

• nagnāḥ: naked
• nagnāḥ: Karta (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nagna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्

• jvālā-mukhāḥ: flame-faced
• jvālā-mukhāḥ: Karta (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jvālā (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः (jvālā iva mukhaṃ yeṣām / jvālāyukta-mukhāḥ)

• pare: others
• pare: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; ‘others’ (substantivized adjective)

• go-karṇāḥ: cow-eared
• go-karṇāḥ: Karta (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + karṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः (go-sadṛśa-karṇāḥ yeṣām)

• gaja-karṇāḥ: elephant-eared
• gaja-karṇāḥ: Karta (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gaja (प्रातिपदिक) + karṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपातः (conjunction)

• bahu-pāda-mukha-īkṣaṇāḥ: having many feet, faces, and eyes
• bahu-pāda-mukha-īkṣaṇāḥ: Karta (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक) + īkṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः (bahavaḥ pādāḥ mukhāni īkṣaṇāni ca yeṣām)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaṇas in startling variety: some draped in tiger-skins, some naked; some with mouths like flames; ears like cow or elephant; bodies with many feet, faces, and eyes—an army of vigilant guardians.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva’s gaṇas (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse portrays the awe-inspiring, fierce majesty of Śiva’s realm, where divine power appears in many extraordinary forms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tirtha is mentioned; the emphasis is descriptive rather than geographical.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.