Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

सा गत्वा प्रातरुत्थाय शुभे गंगातटे तदा । पञ्चपिंडात्मिकां गौरीं कृत्वा कर्द्दमसंभवाम्

Transliteration

sā gatvā prātarutthāya śubhe gaṃgātaṭe tadā | pañcapiṃḍātmikāṃ gaurīṃ kṛtvā karddamasaṃbhavām

Translation

ती पहाटे उठून त्या वेळी शुभ गंगातटी गेली आणि पवित्र कर्दमापासून ‘पंचपिंडात्मिका’ गौरीची प्रतिमा घडविली.

Word by Word

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संकेत-सर्वनाम

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• prātaḥ: in the morning
• prātaḥ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prātaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• utthāya: having risen
• utthāya: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ut-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• śubhe: auspicious
• śubhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; (gaṃgātaṭe विशेषण)

• gaṃgātaṭe: on the bank of the Gaṅgā
• gaṃgātaṭe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃgā-taṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; गङ्गायाः तटः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• pañcapiṃḍātmikām: consisting of five lumps (piṇḍas)
• pañcapiṃḍātmikām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca-piṃḍa-ātmikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; पञ्च पिण्डाः यस्याः/यत्र (अर्थतः ‘पञ्चपिण्डरूपा’)

• gaurīm: Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• gaurīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• karddamasaṃbhavām: born from mud (made of clay)
• karddamasaṃbhavām: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karddama-saṃbhavā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्दमात् सम्भवा (पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Lakṣmī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-tīra (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viṣṇu

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn on the Gaṅgā’s auspicious bank, the queen kneels and shapes sacred mud into a five-lobed/ five-piṇḍa embodiment of Gaurī; the river glows with morning light, ghāṭa steps and pilgrims faintly visible.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Gaurī
• Pañcapiṇḍātmikā (Pañcapiṇḍikā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion sanctifies place and matter: even simple clay becomes worship-worthy when shaped with faith at a tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The auspicious Gaṅgā bank, where Pañcapiṇḍikā-Gaurī is worshipped in this adhyāya’s tīrtha account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dawn observance and crafting a mud/clay form of Gaurī as Pañcapiṇḍātmikā for worship at the Gaṅgā bank.