Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

भूतनाथास्तथान्ये च महाकाया महौजसः । कृष्णवर्णास्तथा श्वेताः केचिन्मंडूकसप्रभाः

Transliteration

bhūtanāthāstathānye ca mahākāyā mahaujasaḥ | kṛṣṇavarṇāstathā śvetāḥ kecinmaṃḍūkasaprabhāḥ

Translation

மேலும் பிற பூதநாதர்களும் இருந்தனர்—மிகப் பெரும் உருவமுடையோர், மகௌஜஸுடையோர்; சிலர் கருநிறம், சிலர் வெண்நிறம், சிலர் தவளைப் போன்ற ஒளிப்பொலிவுடன் விளங்கினர்।

Word by Word

• bhūtanāthāḥ: lords of beings
• bhūtanāthāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Bahuvacana (Plural); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘of beings’ + ‘lords’)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)

• anye: others
• anye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Bahuvacana (Plural)

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

• mahākāyāḥ: huge-bodied
• mahākāyāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + kāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Bahuvacana (Plural); विशेषणम्; समासः—कर्मधारयः (‘great’ + ‘body’)

• mahaujasaḥ: of great power
• mahaujasaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ojas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Bahuvacana (Plural); विशेषणम्; समासः—कर्मधारयः (‘great’ + ‘vigor/power’)

• kṛṣṇavarṇāḥ: black-colored
• kṛṣṇavarṇāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Bahuvacana (Plural); विशेषणम्; समासः—कर्मधारयः (‘black’ + ‘color’)

• tathā: and likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)

• śvetāḥ: white (ones)
• śvetāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śveta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Bahuvacana (Plural); विशेषणम्

• kecit: some
• kecit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक) + cit (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Bahuvacana (Plural); sarvanāma (pronoun) ‘some’; ‘cit’ = indefinitive particle

• maṃḍūkasaprabhāḥ: having a frog-like sheen/appearance
• maṃḍūkasaprabhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: maṃḍūka (प्रातिपदिक) + sa (प्रातिपदिक/सदृशार्थक) + prabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (1st/Nominative), Bahuvacana (Plural); विशेषणम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (उपमान-तत्पुरुषः: ‘having luster like a frog’)

Speaker

Narrator (context not specified in snippet; likely a purāṇic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A crowd of colossal spirit-lords with varied complexions: some ink-black, some ash-white, others with a moist iridescence like a frog’s skin; their eyes gleam, bodies massive, standing in a twilight liminal space that feels both protective and uncanny.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūtanāthas (lords of spirits)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred encompasses diverse appearances; spiritual authority is not limited by outward form, color, or strangeness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is mentioned.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.