Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

श्रीविष्णुरुवाच । महाव्रते महादेवि महादेवप्रिया सदा । त्वं हि सत्त्वरजःस्था च तामसी शक्तिरुत्तमा

Transliteration

śrīviṣṇuruvāca | mahāvrate mahādevi mahādevapriyā sadā | tvaṃ hi sattvarajaḥsthā ca tāmasī śaktiruttamā

Translation

Đức Śrī Viṣṇu phán: “Hỡi bậc giữ đại nguyện, hỡi Đại Nữ Thần—đấng luôn được Mahādeva yêu kính—quả thật Người an trụ trong sattva và rajas, và cũng là Thần lực tối thượng của tamas.”

Word by Word

• śrī-viṣṇuḥ: Śrī Viṣṇu
• śrī-viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (honorific epithet), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• mahā-vrate: O great-vowed one
• mahā-vrate: Sambodhana (Address/संबोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (Vocative/संबोधन), एकवचन

• mahā-devi: O great goddess
• mahā-devi: Sambodhana (Address/संबोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन, एकवचन

• mahādeva-priyā: beloved of Mahādeva
• mahādeva-priyā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahādeva (प्रातिपदिक) + priyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('dear to Mahādeva'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of tvam)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, एकवचन (2nd person pronoun used as subject)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha/Emphasis (Nipāta)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/indeed)

• sattva-rajaḥ-sthā: abiding in sattva and rajas
• sattva-rajaḥ-sthā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sattva (प्रातिपदिक) + rajas (प्रातिपदिक) + sthā (प्रातिपदिक from √sthā)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (locative/associative sense: 'situated in/characterized by sattva and rajas'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of tvam)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tāmasī: tamasic
• tāmasī: Karta (Predicate qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāmasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of śaktiḥ)

• śaktiḥ: power, energy
• śaktiḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-समाना)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uttamā: supreme
• uttamā: Karta (Predicate qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttamā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of śaktiḥ)

Speaker

Viṣṇu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (Maheśvarī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu praises the Goddess as Mahāvratā and Mahādeva-priyā, describing her as the supreme power manifesting through the three guṇas; Devī appears radiant, encompassing multiple hues symbolizing guṇas.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Goddess is affirmed as the all-encompassing śakti behind the three guṇas, worthy of reverence beyond sectarian limits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it functions as theological praise within a tīrtha-māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the passage is stotra-style praise.