Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

दधार गर्भं चटिका तपोमूर्तिधरा यथा । तस्य गर्भस्य वर्षाणि चत्वारि किल संययुः

Transliteration

dadhāra garbhaṃ caṭikā tapomūrtidharā yathā | tasya garbhasya varṣāṇi catvāri kila saṃyayuḥ

Translation

Caṭikā 怀孕了，仿佛怀抱着苦行之力的具身形态。据说那次妊娠历经四年。

Word by Word

• दधार: bore, held
• दधार: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• गर्भम्: a fetus, pregnancy
• गर्भम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• चटिका: Caṭikā
• चटिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चटिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• तपोमूर्तिधरा: bearing an ascetic form
• तपोमूर्तिधरा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (‘तपः-मूर्तिं धरति’)

• यथा: as, like
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानार्थक (as/like)

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• गर्भस्य: of the fetus
• गर्भस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• वर्षाणि: years
• वर्षाणि: Karma (Extent/परिमाण-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; कालपरिमाणम्

• चत्वारि: four
• चत्वारि: Visheshana (Numeral qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषणम् (वर्षाणि)

• किल: indeed, it is said
• किल: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नूनम्/श्रुत्यर्थक-निपातः (indeed/it is said)

• संययुः: passed, elapsed
• संययुः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत); प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Caṭikā, radiant yet austere, is shown pregnant with a subtle glow at her abdomen, suggesting ‘tapas embodied’; time is marked by seasons passing—four years—around the hermitage.

Characters & Entities

• Caṭikā
• Māṃṭi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The fruit of tapas can manifest in extraordinary ways, suggesting that divine boons may unfold beyond ordinary expectations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting continues to be Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), where the devotee’s Rudra-japa and Śiva’s boon take effect.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse describes an exceptional gestation as part of the sacred narrative.