Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । ततो मयास्य तीर्थस्य रक्षणाय पुनर्जय । समाराध्य यथा देव्यः स्थापितास्तच्छृणुष्व भोः

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | tato mayāsya tīrthasya rakṣaṇāya punarjaya | samārādhya yathā devyaḥ sthāpitāstacchṛṇuṣva bhoḥ

Translation

นารทกล่าวว่า: ต่อจากนั้น โอ ผู้มีชัย เพื่อคุ้มครองตีรถะนี้ ข้าพเจ้าได้บูชาเทวีทั้งหลายตามพิธีโดยครบถ้วน ขอท่านจงสดับเถิดว่า เทวีผู้เป็นทิพย์ทั้งหลายได้ถูกสถาปนาไว้ ณ ที่นี้อย่างไร

Word by Word

• nāradaḥ: Nārada
• nāradaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; वक्ता

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—काल/अनन्तर (then/thereafter)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/कर्ता-निर्देश (by me)

• asya: of this
• asya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• tīrthasya: of the tīrtha
• tīrthasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• rakṣaṇāya: for protection
• rakṣaṇāya: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; प्रयोजन (dative of purpose)

• punar: again
• punar: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनर्—पुनरावृत्ति/अनन्तर (again/further)

• jaya: O Jaya
• jaya: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन

• samārādhya: having duly worshipped/propitiated
• samārādhya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-rādh (राध् धातु) + ल्यप् (कृत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (ल्यप्/क्त्वा-समकक्ष), अव्ययभाव (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया (having propitiated)

• yathā: as/how
• yathā: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यथाः—प्रकार/अनुरूप (as/how)

• devyaḥ: the goddesses/divine ladies
• devyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्ता (plural)

• sthāpitāḥ: were installed/established
• sthāpitāḥ: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, भूतकर्मणि), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (were installed)

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (to be heard)

• śṛṇuṣva: listen
• śṛṇuṣva: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (श्रु धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/लोट्), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• bhoḥ: O!
• bhoḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhoḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; संबोधन-निपात (vocative particle)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnamed here (same tīrtha under discussion)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘Jaya’/‘victorious one’ (addressee in the narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada, veena-bearing sage, performs worship to Devī for the tīrtha’s protection; multiple goddesses are installed—each with distinct emblems—forming a protective circle around the sacred ford/shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Tīrtha
• Devyaḥ (Goddesses)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are safeguarded through proper devotion and ritual worship of the Divine Feminine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse refers to “this tīrtha” without naming it; the identification depends on the surrounding chapter narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Samārādhana (formal propitiatory worship) of the Devīs and their establishment (sthāpana) for protection.