Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एष चोत्पादितो गौर्या निजांगमलतः स्वयम् । क्रीडार्थं मानुषैरंगैर्मातंगाननशोभितः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | eṣa cotpādito gauryā nijāṃgamalataḥ svayam | krīḍārthaṃ mānuṣairaṃgairmātaṃgānanaśobhitaḥ

Translation

സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഗൗരീദേവി സ്വയം തന്റെ ദേഹാംഗമലത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഇദ്ദേഹത്തെ സൃഷ്ടിച്ചു. ക്രീഡാർത്ഥം മനുഷ്യസദൃശ അവയവങ്ങളാൽ രൂപപ്പെടുത്തി, ആനമുഖത്താൽ ശോഭിപ്പിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• एषः: this (Gaṇanātha)
• एषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• उत्पादितः: was produced/created
• उत्पादितः: Kriya/Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्√पद्/उत्√पाद् (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• गौर्या: by Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• गौर्या: Karana (Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• निजाङ्गमलतः: from the dirt of her own body
• निजाङ्गमलतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज + अङ्ग + मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘मलतः’ = from the dirt/impurity; समासः (निजस्य अङ्गस्य मलः)

• स्वयम्: herself; personally
• स्वयम्: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, आत्मवाचक (reflexive adverb)

• क्रीडार्थम्: for play/sport
• क्रीडार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रीडा + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; प्रयोजनवाचक (purpose)

• मानुषैः: with human
• मानुषैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• अङ्गैः: limbs
• अङ्गैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• मातङ्गाननशोभितः: adorned with an elephant-face
• मातङ्गाननशोभितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मातङ्ग + आनन + शोभित (कृदन्त; √शुभ्/शोभ्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त ‘शोभित’ = adorned; समासः (मातङ्गस्य आननं यस्य/येन)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sauti)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṇanātha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaurī fashions a child from her own body-substance; the child has human limbs yet an elephant face, presented as a playful divine creation (kṛīḍārtha).

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• Gaṇeśa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace can manifest in accessible forms; Gaṇeśa’s very origin underscores compassionate protection for devotees facing obstacles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya frame, but this specific line focuses on Gaṇeśa’s origin rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit vrata, dāna, snāna, or japa is prescribed in this verse.