Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1
Devanagari script
नारद उवाच । ततस्तं गिरिवर्ष्माणं पतितं वसुधोपरि । आलिंगितमिव पृथ्व्या गुणिन्या गुणिनं यथा
Transliteration
nārada uvāca | tatastaṃ girivarṣmāṇaṃ patitaṃ vasudhopari | āliṃgitamiva pṛthvyā guṇinyā guṇinaṃ yathā
Translation
நாரதர் கூறினார்—அப்போது அந்த மலை-உடலுடையவன் பூமியின் மேல் விழுந்தான்; குணமிக்க பூமி ஒரு குணவானை அணைத்தது போலத் தோன்றியது।
Word by Word
नारदःNārada
नारदः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootनारद (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular
उवाचsaid
उवाच:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootवच् (धातु)
Formलिट् (परोक्सभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — 3rd person singular perfect active
ततःthen
ततः:
Kala (Time/काल)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootततः (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (क्रमवाचक) — ‘then’
तम्him/that one
तम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — masculine accusative singular
गिरि-वर्ष्माणम्one whose body was like a mountain
गिरि-वर्ष्माणम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootगिरि (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ष्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — masculine accusative singular; ‘गिरिरिव वर्ष्म यस्य/गिरिसदृशं शरीरम्’ (अर्थतः)
पतितम्fallen
पतितम्:
Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
TypeVerb
Rootपत् (धातु)
Formक्त (भूतकृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — past participle qualifying तम्
वसुधा-उपरिupon the earth
वसुधा-उपरि:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootवसुधा (प्रातिपदिक) + उपरि (अव्यय)
Formउपरि (अव्यय, अधिकरणवाचक) सह वसुधा-षष्ठीसम्बन्धः (लोपे) — ‘upon the earth’
आलिङ्गितम्embraced
आलिङ्गितम्:
Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
TypeVerb
Rootआ-लिङ्ग् (धातु)
Formक्त (भूतकृदन्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — past participle used predicatively ‘embraced’
इवas if
इव:
Upamana-marker (Simile/उपमा)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (उपमावाचक) — particle of comparison ‘as if/like’
पृथ्व्याby the Earth
पृथ्व्या:
Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootपृथ्वी (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — feminine instrumental singular
गुणिन्याby the virtuous/possessing qualities (Earth)
गुणिन्या:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeAdjective
Rootगुणिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — feminine instrumental singular; विशेषणम् पृथ्व्याः
गुणिनम्a virtuous one
गुणिनम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootगुणिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — masculine accusative singular; उपमेयः
यथाjust as
यथा:
Upamana-marker (Simile/उपमा)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयथा (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (उपमानोपमेय-सम्बन्धबोधक) — ‘just as’
Speaker
Nārada
Visual Art Cues
Scene: Nārada narrates: the ‘mountain-bodied’ figure lies fallen; the Earth appears as a gentle motherly presence, as if embracing a virtuous person—an image of calm after turmoil.
Characters & Entities
N
NāradaP
Pṛthvī (Earth)FAQs
Even in violent cosmic conflict, the Purāṇas frame events through dharma—Earth is portrayed as a moral witness that receives and ‘embraces’ the fallen.
No specific tīrtha is identified in this verse.
None; it is a descriptive narrative verse.