Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । देवदेव महादेव गंगाक्षालितशेखर । वद मे तीर्थमाहात्म्यं यद्यहं वल्लभा तव

Transliteration

devyuvāca | devadeva mahādeva gaṃgākṣālitaśekhara | vada me tīrthamāhātmyaṃ yadyahaṃ vallabhā tava

Translation

พระเทวีตรัสว่า: “โอ เทวเทพ มหาเทว ผู้มวยผมยอดเกศาถูกชำระด้วยคงคา โปรดบอกมหาตมยะของทีรถะแก่ข้าพเจ้า หากข้าพเจ้าเป็นที่รักของพระองค์จริง”

Word by Word

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवदेव: O God of gods
• देवदेव: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधनार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—देव-देव (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘देवानां देव’)

• महादेव: O Mahādeva
• महादेव: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधनार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—महा-देव (कर्मधारय)

• गंगाक्षालितशेखर: O one whose crest is washed by the Gaṅgā
• गंगाक्षालितशेखर: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधनार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + क्षालित + शेखर (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘गङ्गया क्षालितः शेखरः यस्य सः’ (whose crest is washed by Gaṅgā)

• वद: tell/speak
• वद: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तीर्थमाहात्म्यम्: the greatness of the tīrtha
• तीर्थमाहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तीर्थ-माहात्म्य (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘तीर्थस्य माहात्म्यम्’)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle ‘if’)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वल्लभा: beloved (wife)
• वल्लभा: Predicate nominal (विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वल्लभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तव: of you/your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (invoked via Gaṅgādhara)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-s / sages (outer frame); Śiva (inner frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī addresses Śiva with folded hands: ‘Devadeva Mahādeva, Gaṅgā-washed crest’; Śiva sits serene, Gaṅgā flowing from his matted hair, moon on his head, ash-smeared body, trident nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Pārvatī)
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion seeks guidance: the Devī asks for tīrtha-māhātmya from Śiva, showing that pilgrimage and sacred geography are best approached through humility and divine instruction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā is invoked as the purifier adorning Śiva; specific tīrthas are to be explained subsequently.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No detailed rite; the request is for teaching on tīrtha-māhātmya (the principles and glories behind pilgrimage).