Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

मयापि तव प्रोक्तोऽयं मातृकाप्रश्र उत्तमः । द्वितीयं श्रृणु तं प्रश्नं पंचपंचाद्भुतं गृहम्

Transliteration

mayāpi tava prokto'yaṃ mātṛkāpraśra uttamaḥ | dvitīyaṃ śrṛṇu taṃ praśnaṃ paṃcapaṃcādbhutaṃ gṛham

Translation

وقد شرحتُ لكَ أنا أيضًا هذا السؤالَ الجليلَ المتعلّقَ بالماتريكا (mātṛkā). فاسمع الآن السؤالَ الثاني: عن «البيت» العجيب المتكوّن من خمسةٍ وخمسةٍ.

Word by Word

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (also)

• tava: to you/your
• tava: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• proktaḥ: has been told
• proktaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि (past participle, kta), पुल्लिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• mātṛkāpraśraḥ: the question about mātṛkā
• mātṛkāpraśraḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛkā + praśra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: ‘मातृकायाः प्रश्रः/प्रश्नः’), पुल्लिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• uttamaḥ: excellent
• uttamaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• dvitīyam: the second
• dvitīyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvitīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• śṛṇu: hear
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• tam: that
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• praśnam: question
• praśnam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praśna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• pañcapañca-adbhutam: wonderful in five-and-five (i.e., of 25 wonders)
• pañcapañca-adbhutam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca + pañca + adbhuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (numerical compound: ‘पञ्च पञ्च’ = पञ्चविंशति/25-प्रकार?), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• gṛham: house/abode
• gṛham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sutanu

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sutanu

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic diagrammatic scene: a ‘house’ whose pillars and rooms are labeled with two sets of five (elements/senses etc.), with the teacher pointing to it while the listener watches; mātṛkā letters appear as a garland around the structure.

Characters & Entities

• Mātṛkā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual inquiry progresses stepwise—after one doctrine is clarified, deeper questions about the embodied ‘structure’ are taken up.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the verse sets up a philosophical exposition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces the next doctrinal question.