Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

नाडीजंघ उवाच । घृतकंबलमाहात्म्यान्मम देवस्य शूलिनः । दीर्घमायुरिदं विप्र शापाद्बकवपुः श्रृणु

Transliteration

nāḍījaṃgha uvāca | ghṛtakaṃbalamāhātmyānmama devasya śūlinaḥ | dīrghamāyuridaṃ vipra śāpādbakavapuḥ śrṛṇu

Translation

നാടീജംഘൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ വിപ്രാ! എന്റെ ശൂലധാരിയായ ദേവനായ മഹാദേവന്റെ ‘ഘൃതകംബല’ മഹാത്മ്യത്താൽ എനിക്ക് ഈ ദീർഘായുസ്സ് ലഭിച്ചു; ശാപം മൂലം എനിക്ക് ബക (കൊക്ക്) രൂപം വന്നു—കേൾക്കുക.

Word by Word

• नाडीजंघः: Nāḍījaṅgha
• नाडीजंघः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाडीजंघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• घृतकंबलमाहात्म्यात्: from/because of the greatness of Ghṛtakambala
• घृतकंबलमाहात्म्यात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घृतकंबल + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—(1) घृत + कंबल (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष: ‘घृत-सम्बद्धः कंबलः’), (2) घृतकंबल + माहात्म्य (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘घृतकंबलस्य माहात्म्यम्’); अर्थः ‘because of the glory of Ghṛtakambala’

• मम: of me, my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• देवस्य: of the god
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• शूलिनः: of Śūlin (Śiva, the trident-bearer)
• शूलिनः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूलिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; ‘शूल-धारी’ (epithet of Śiva)

• दीर्घम्: long
• दीर्घम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• आयुः: lifespan
• आयुः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshana (Demonstrative/निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देशक-सर्वनाम

• विप्र: O Brahmin
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• शापात्: from a curse, due to a curse
• शापात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• बकवपुः: one with the body of a crane
• बकवपुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बक + वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—बकः इव वपुः / बक-वपुः (descriptive: ‘crane-bodied’)

• शृणु: hear, listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Nāḍījaṃgha

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ghṛtakaṃbala

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A brāhmaṇa (addressed as ‘vipra’) and the king/inquirer in the scene

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nāḍījaṃgha reveals: his long life comes from the greatness of Ghṛtakaṃbala of Śiva the trident-bearer; yet he bears a crane’s body due to a curse, and begins his confession.

Characters & Entities

• Nāḍījaṃgha
• Śiva
• Śūlin
• Ghṛtakaṃbala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred Śaiva greatness (māhātmya) grants extraordinary fruits like longevity, while karma and curses can shape embodied experience—both operate within dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ghṛtakaṃbala is explicitly praised as a powerful Śaiva māhātmya locus in this narrative context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse attributes results to the māhātmya of Ghṛtakaṃbala and introduces a curse account.