Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

विष्णुरुवाच । एषा मे भगिनी देव जाताऽश्ववदना किल । तव प्रसादात्सद्वक्त्रा भूयादेतन्ममेप्सितम्

Transliteration

viṣṇuruvāca | eṣā me bhaginī deva jātā'śvavadanā kila | tava prasādātsadvaktrā bhūyādetanmamepsitam

Translation

พระวิษณุตรัสว่า “ข้าแต่เทพเจ้า น้องสาวของเรานี้แท้จริงเกิดมามีพักตร์ดุจม้า ด้วยพระกรุณาของท่าน ขอให้นางมีพักตร์งามเถิด นี่คือสิ่งที่เราปรารถนา”

Word by Word

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• एषा: this (she)
• एषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; enclitic genitive ‘my’

• भगिनी: sister
• भगिनी: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• देव: O god
• देव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; vocative

• जातā: born
• जातā: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘born/has become’

• अश्ववदना: horse-faced
• अश्ववदना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + वदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; bahuvrīhi: ‘having a horse-face’

• किल: indeed, it is said
• किल: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/श्रुत्यर्थक निपात (particle: indeed/it is said)

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

• प्रसादात्: from (your) grace
• प्रसादात्: Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; ablative singular

• सद्वक्त्रा: with a fair face
• सद्वक्त्रा: Karta-sāmānādhikaraṇya (Predicate adjective/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक) + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; karmadhāraya: ‘good/beautiful-faced’

• भूयात्: may (she) become
• भूयात्: Kriya (Wish/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘may she become’

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma/Predicate (Complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; here as subject-complement ‘this’

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; genitive singular

• ईप्सितम्: desired (boon)
• ईप्सितम्: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇya (Predicate/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आप्/ईप्स् (धातु) → ईप्सित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘desired (thing)’

Speaker

Viṣṇu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu, holding or accompanied by the Śārṅga bow, petitions Brahmā for his sister’s transformation from a horse-faced birth to a fair-faced auspicious form; the sister stands modestly to the side, veiled or downcast.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Brahmā
• Subhadrā (implied as Viṣṇu’s sister)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate prayer seeks another’s welfare, and divine grace is invoked for auspicious transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha-name appears in this verse; it forms part of a broader tīrtha-glorification chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None here; it is a boon-request dialogue that precedes the worship injunctions.