Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

पितॄणां च गणाः सर्वे पुरःस्था भांति सर्वदा । सर्वे यक्षा भालदेशे किन्नराश्च कपोलयोः

Transliteration

pitṝṇāṃ ca gaṇāḥ sarve puraḥsthā bhāṃti sarvadā | sarve yakṣā bhāladeśe kinnarāśca kapolayoḥ

Translation

หมู่คณะปิตฤ (บรรพชน) ทั้งปวงส่องประกายอยู่เบื้องหน้าท่านเสมอ ส่วนบริเวณหน้าผากของท่านมีเหล่ายักษะทั้งสิ้น และบนแก้มทั้งสองมีเหล่ากินนรสถิตอยู่

Word by Word

• पितॄणाम्: of the Pitṛs/ancestors
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

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

• गणाः: groups
• गणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• पुरःस्थाः: standing in front
• पुरःस्थाः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरः (अव्यय) + स्थ (कृदन्त; √स्था)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘पुरः स्थिताः’ (in front)

• भान्ति: shine/appear
• भान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• सर्वदा: always
• सर्वदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• यक्षाः: Yakṣas
• यक्षाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• भालदेशे: in the forehead region
• भालदेशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाल (प्रातिपदिक) + देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘भालस्य देशे’

• किन्नराः: Kinnaras
• किन्नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किन्नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

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

• कपोलयोः: on the two cheeks
• कपोलयोः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपोल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी) द्विवचन (dual); अधिकरण

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual stuti within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; likely a devotee/sage praising Devī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant Devī’s face fills the frame like a sacred mandala: before her shine ancestral hosts; at her forehead cluster Yakṣas; on her cheeks appear Kinnaras, all rendered as luminous attendants.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Yakṣas
• Kinnaras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devī encompasses ancestors and all classes of beings; honoring her also honors lineage (pitṛ) and cosmic guardians.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not explicitly identified in this verse; it remains within the Tīrthamāhātmya’s devotional cosmology.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the mention of Pitṛ-hosts suggests an underlying respect for ancestral dharma (pitṛ-tarpaṇa), but it is not stated here.