Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 116

Devanagari script

एवमुक्त्वा चतुर्वक्त्रस्ततश्चादर्शनं गतः । विश्वेदेवास्तथा हृष्टाः कूष्माण्डाश्च विशेषतः

Transliteration

evamuktvā caturvaktrastataścādarśanaṃ gataḥ | viśvedevāstathā hṛṣṭāḥ kūṣmāṇḍāśca viśeṣataḥ

Translation

एवमुक्त्वा चतुर्वक्त्रस्ततोऽदर्शनमागतः । विश्वेदेवास्तथा हृष्टाः कूष्माण्डाश्च विशेषतः ॥

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• uktvā: having said
• uktvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund)

• catur-vaktraḥ: the four-faced one (Brahmā)
• catur-vaktraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—बहुव्रीहिः (यस्यानि चत्वारि वक्त्राणि सः)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/अनन्तर-अव्यय (then/thereafter)

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

• adarśanam: invisibility/non-appearance
• adarśanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• gataḥ: went/entered
• gataḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः

• viśve-devāḥ: the Viśvedevas
• viśve-devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśve (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (विश्वे ये देवाः)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार-अव्यय (likewise)

• hṛṣṭāḥ: were delighted
• hṛṣṭāḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √hṛṣ (हृष् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• kūṣmāṇḍāḥ: the Kūṣmāṇḍas
• kūṣmāṇḍāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kūṣmāṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

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

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (especially)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; not explicitly marked in this verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā (four-faced) completes his pronouncement and vanishes; surrounding deities—Viśvedevas—and Kūṣmāṇḍa beings show visible delight, marking a turning point in the narrative.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (Caturvaktra)
• Viśvedevas
• Kūṣmāṇḍas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine acts conclude decisively—after instruction is given, the cosmos realigns and the divine hosts respond with joy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya flow connected to the Gaya-related sacred narrative (Gayākūpī is named shortly after).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual instruction appears in this verse; it sets narrative context for subsequent prescriptions.