Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

गजवक्त्रां नरो यस्त्वां पूजयिष्यति भक्तितः । स गजाधिपतिर्भूपो भविष्यति च भूतले

Transliteration

gajavaktrāṃ naro yastvāṃ pūjayiṣyati bhaktitaḥ | sa gajādhipatirbhūpo bhaviṣyati ca bhūtale

Translation

“Sesiapa lelaki yang memuja engkau dengan bhakti dalam rupa berwajah gajah, dia akan menjadi raja di bumi—tuan kepada segala gajah.”

Word by Word

• गजवक्त्राम्: (you) elephant-faced (goddess)
• गजवक्त्राम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक) + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (लक्ष्मी/देवी-सम्बन्धेन), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पूजयिष्यति: will worship
• पूजयिष्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• भक्तितः: with devotion, out of devotion
• भक्तितः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative) एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (in the sense of cause/manner: 'out of devotion')

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• गजाधिपतिः: lord of elephants
• गजाधिपतिः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• भूपः: king
• भूपः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• भविष्यति: will become
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

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

• भूतले: on the earth
• भूतले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूतल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gajavaktrā-Mahālakṣmī-sthāna (as implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The Devī (and by extension future pilgrims/devotees)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotee offers flowers and lamps to an elephant-faced Devī image; royal elephants and a coronation motif subtly foreshadow the boon of becoming ‘gajādhipati’ king.

Characters & Entities

• Mahālakṣmī (Gajavaktrā)
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional worship (bhakti) directed to the deity’s revered form yields worldly prosperity and authority, framed as a dharmic reward.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The promise is embedded in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha narrative; the precise site is contextual to the chapter but not named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship (pūjā) of the elephant-faced goddess with devotion.