Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

ततो वर्षसहस्रेषु देवास्त्वरितमानसाः । ज्वलनं नोदयामासुर्ज्ञातुं शंकरचेष्टितम्

Transliteration

tato varṣasahasreṣu devāstvaritamānasāḥ | jvalanaṃ nodayāmāsurjñātuṃ śaṃkaraceṣṭitam

Translation

ثم بعد أن انقضت آلاف السنين، دفع الآلهةُ—وقلوبُهم متلهّفة قلِقة—أَغْنِي (جْفَلَنَة Jvalana) إلى المضيّ قُدُمًا، رغبةً في معرفة قصد شانكرا (Śaṅkara) الخفيّ وفعلِه.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Desha-Kala (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदनन्तरम् (then)

• वर्षसहस्रेषु: in (after) thousands of years
• वर्षसहस्रेषु: Adhikarana (Location/Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास ('thousands of years'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• त्वरितमानसाः: with hurried minds
• त्वरितमानसाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वरित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त) + मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास ('hasty-minded'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ज्वलनम्: Agni / the Fire-god
• ज्वलनम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्वलन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नोदयामासुः: urged / set in motion
• नोदयामासुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√उद् (उदँ—भ्वादि) + णिच्
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: 'caused to rise/urged')

• ज्ञातुम्: to know
• ज्ञातुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ज्ञा (ज्ञा—क्र्यादि)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive), प्रयोजनार्थ (purpose)

• शंकरचेष्टितम्: Śaṅkara’s act
• शंकरचेष्टितम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक) + चेष्टित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('Śaṅkara's deed'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A council of gods, anxious after long ages, urging Agni forward; Agni glows, poised for a secret mission to learn Śaṅkara’s act.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Agni (Jvalana)
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine actions can be subtle and beyond ordinary grasp; humility and patience are needed when approaching Śiva’s inscrutable will.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as narrative setup within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse describes the gods urging Agni to investigate.