Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

धनदा धर्मदा चैव नर्मदा सकलप्रिया । वामनालंबिका कृष्णा दीर्घशृंगा सुपिच्छिका

Transliteration

dhanadā dharmadā caiva narmadā sakalapriyā | vāmanālaṃbikā kṛṣṇā dīrghaśṛṃgā supicchikā

Translation

അവരെ ധനദാ, ധർമദാ, നർമദാ, സകലപ്രിയാ എന്നു വിളിച്ചു; കൂടാതെ വാമനാലംബികാ, കൃഷ്ണാ, ദീർഘശൃംഗാ, സുപിച്ച്ഛികാ എന്ന പേരിലും പ്രസിദ്ധരായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• धनदा: Dhanadā (name)
• धनदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• धर्मदा: Dharmadā (name)
• धर्मदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphasis)

• नर्मदा: Narmadā (name)
• नर्मदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सकलप्रिया: Sakalapriyā (name; 'beloved of all')
• सकलप्रिया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सकल + प्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास ('सकलानां प्रिया/सर्वप्रिय'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• वामनालंबिका: Vāmanālaṃbikā (name)
• वामनालंबिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वामन + आलंबिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास ('वामना आलंबिका'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• कृष्णा: Kṛṣṇā (name)
• कृष्णा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• दीर्घशृङ्गा: Dīrghaśṛṅgā (name; 'long-horned')
• दीर्घशृङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीर्घ + शृङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास ('दीर्घे शृङ्गे यस्याः'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सुपिच्छिका: Supicchikā (name)
• सुपिच्छिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु + पिच्छिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास ('सु-पिच्छिका' = 'सुन्दर-पिच्छा/पिच्छिका'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; prior narration in the chapter)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred herd with distinctive features—dark-hued cow, long-horned cow, crested cow—standing near a tīrtha path as pilgrims and sages observe their auspicious qualities.

Characters & Entities

• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy beings in tīrtha-narratives are praised through dhārmic qualities—especially their power to bestow prosperity, merit, and auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya, the verse continues a localized sacred narrative; the immediate passage focuses on the wondrous being(s) connected to the chapter’s tīrtha setting rather than naming a famous pan-Indian site in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is stated in this verse; it is primarily descriptive praise (stuti-style epithets).