Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

गालव उवाच । लोहितो यस्तु वर्णेन मुखे पुच्छे च पांडुरः

Transliteration

gālava uvāca | lohito yastu varṇena mukhe pucche ca pāṃḍuraḥ

Translation

காலவன் கூறினான்—நிறத்தில் செம்மை உடையவன்; ஆனால் முகத்திலும் வாலிலும் பாண்டுரம் (மங்கிய வெண்மை) உடையவன்…

Word by Word

• गालवः: Gālava
• गालवः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• लोहितः: red
• लोहितः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोहित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• यः: who/which
• यः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेष-बोधक अव्यय (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• वर्णेन: by color/in color
• वर्णेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/Specification)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (instr. sg.)

• मुखे: on the face/mouth
• मुखे: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• पुच्छे: on the tail
• पुच्छे: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुच्छ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय

• पाण्डुरः: pale/whitish
• पाण्डुरः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाण्डुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Gālava

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nīla-vṛṣabha (lakṣaṇa-kathā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śūdra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage points out the bull’s coloration: reddish body with pale face and tail, as if cataloging sacred marks for recognition.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching often clarifies sacred identity through lakṣaṇas—visible signs that encode deeper divine meaning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is explanatory dialogue within the chapter’s tīrtha context; the site is not named in this half-verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it begins a definition/identification of Nīla by physical marks.