Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38
Devanagari script
एते मूर्तिधरा रागा जाता भार्यासहायिनः । भार्यास्तेषां समुद्भूताः शिरोभागात्पिनाकिनः
Transliteration
ete mūrtidharā rāgā jātā bhāryāsahāyinaḥ | bhāryāsteṣāṃ samudbhūtāḥ śirobhāgātpinākinaḥ
Translation
ഈ രാഗങ്ങൾ മൂർത്തിധാരികളായി ഭാര്യമാരോടുകൂടെ സഹചാരികളായി ജനിച്ചു. അവരുടെ ഭാര്യമാർ പിനാകി (ശിവൻ)ന്റെ ശിരോഭാഗത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഉദ്ഭവിച്ചു.
Word by Word
एतेthese
एते:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootएतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्
मूर्तिधराःembodied; form-bearing
मूर्तिधराः:
Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootमूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (कृदन्त; √धृ धारणे)
Formपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः ‘मूर्तिं धरन्ति’ (embodied; bearing form)
रागाःpassions; rāgas
रागाः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootराग (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्
जाताःborn; arisen
जाताः:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Predicate (Predicative/विधेय)
TypeAdjective
Root√जन् (धातु)
Formभूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; ‘born/arisen’
भार्यासहायिनःwith wives as companions
भार्यासहायिनः:
Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootभार्या (प्रातिपदिक) + सहायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘भार्यायाः सहायिनः’ (having wives as companions)
भार्याःwives
भार्याः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootभार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्
तेषाम्of them
तेषाम्:
Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी बहुवचनम् (genitive: of them)
समुद्भूताःarisen
समुद्भूताः:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Predicate (Predicative/विधेय)
TypeAdjective
Rootसमुद्भूत (कृदन्त; √भू सत्तायाम्, सम्+उद्)
Formपुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; ‘arisen/produced’
शिरोभागात्from the head-region
शिरोभागात्:
Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
TypeNoun
Rootशिरस् (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे पञ्चमी एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘शिरसः भागः’ → ‘शिरोभागः’; तस्मात् (from the head-region)
पिनाकिनःof Pinākin (Śiva)
पिनाकिनः:
Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootपिनाकिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम् (genitive: of Pinākin/Śiva)
Speaker
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A procession of personified rāgas as radiant figures, each accompanied by a consort; above them Śiva Pinākin, from whose head a stream of feminine śaktis emerges like luminous syllables/notes.
Characters & Entities
R
RāgaP
Pinākin (Śiva)FAQs
Sacred music is treated as divine in origin—rāgas are not merely art forms but embodied emanations connected to Śiva.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse.
None is stated; the emphasis is on origin and sanctity of rāgas.