Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

सुधावदातं सूर्याभं कैलासशिखरोपमम् । सुप्रलंबकरं मत्तं चतुर्दंतं महागजम्

Transliteration

sudhāvadātaṃ sūryābhaṃ kailāsaśikharopamam | supralaṃbakaraṃ mattaṃ caturdaṃtaṃ mahāgajam

Translation

وہ ایک عظیم ہاتھی تھا—امرِت کی مانند سفید، سورج کی طرح تاباں، کوہِ کیلاش کی چوٹی جیسا؛ نہایت لمبی سونڈ والا، مستی میں، اور چار دانتوں والا۔

Word by Word

• सुधा-वदातम्: white/pure like nectar
• सुधा-वदातम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुधा (प्रातिपदिक) + वदात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adjectival)

• सूर्य-आभम्: sun-like, radiant
• सूर्य-आभम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + आभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• कैलास-शिखर-उपमम्: comparable to the peak of Kailāsa
• कैलास-शिखर-उपमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कैलास (प्रातिपदिक) + शिखर (प्रातिपदिक) + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• सु-प्रलम्ब-करम्: having very long trunk/hand
• सु-प्रलम्ब-करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + प्रलम्ब (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• मत्तम्: intoxicated, rutting
• मत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मत्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• चतुर्-दन्तम्: four-tusked
• चतुर्-दन्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक/संख्याशब्द) + दन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• महा-गजम्: a great elephant
• महा-गजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + गज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A colossal celestial elephant, milk-white like nectar and blazing like the sun, stands like a moving Kailāsa-peak; its trunk hangs long, it is in musth, and it bears four tusks—an awe-inspiring omen in a sacred landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Kailāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic māhātmyas use auspicious, elevated imagery to signal a divine turning point—an approaching revelation or test.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kailāsa is referenced as a standard of sublime grandeur; the immediate tīrtha of the chapter is not named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse is a descriptive (lakṣaṇa) passage introducing a majestic elephant within the narrative.