Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

गालव उवाच । या हि योगीश्वरध्येया या वन्द्या विश्ववन्दिता । जननी या च विश्वस्य साऽपि कामात्तपोगता

Transliteration

gālava uvāca | yā hi yogīśvaradhyeyā yā vandyā viśvavanditā | jananī yā ca viśvasya sā'pi kāmāttapogatā

Translation

กาลวะกล่าวว่า: พระนางผู้เป็นที่เพ่งภาวนาของจ้าวแห่งโยคะ ผู้ควรบูชาและเป็นที่บูชาของโลก ผู้เป็นมารดาแห่งสากล—แม้พระนางนั้น ด้วยแรงปรารถนา ก็เสด็จไปบำเพ็ญตบะ

Word by Word

• गालवः: Gālava
• गालवः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• या: she who
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/causal nuance)

• योगीश्वरध्येया: to be meditated upon by the lords of yogins
• योगीश्वरध्येया: Karta (Apposition/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: योगीश्वर+ध्येय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—योगीश्वरैः ध्येया (तत्पुरुष)

• या: she who
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुनरुक्त-सम्बन्ध

• वन्द्या: worthy of worship
• वन्द्या: Karta (Apposition/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वन्द्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; साध्य/योग्यवाचक

• विश्ववन्दिता: praised by the whole world
• विश्ववन्दिता: Karta (Apposition/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्व+वन्दित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—विश्वेन वन्दिता (तत्पुरुष)

• जननी: mother
• जननी: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जननी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• या: she who
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• विश्वस्य: of the universe
• विश्वस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; ‘also/even’)

• कामात्: from desire
• कामात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• तपोगता: went to austerity
• तपोगता: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तपस्+गत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तपसि गता (तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Gālava

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage (Gālava) speaks in reverent astonishment, gesturing toward an imagined vision of the cosmic Mother—worshipped by all and meditated upon by yogic lords—yet choosing austerity out of desire.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Mother of the universe (Devī/Pārvatī, implied)
• Yogīśvaras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the most worship-worthy divine Mother demonstrates the path of disciplined striving through tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse appears inside the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya framework of the Nāgara-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Undertaking tapas (austerity) as a means to attain a desired spiritual end.