Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा तदैव सहसा वनमालयान्विता लक्ष्मीर्गजादवततार सुविस्मयंती । कंठे ससर्ज पुरुषस्य परस्य विष्णोर्मालां श्रिया विरचितां भ्रमरैरुपेताम्

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā tadaiva sahasā vanamālayānvitā lakṣmīrgajādavatatāra suvismayaṃtī | kaṃṭhe sasarja puruṣasya parasya viṣṇormālāṃ śriyā viracitāṃ bhramarairupetām

Translation

فلما رأته لاكشمي، وهي متزيّنة بإكليلٍ من أزهار الغابة، هبطت سريعًا عن الفيل في دهشةٍ عجيبة، ثمّ علّقت في عنق الشخص الأسمى، فيشنو (Viṣṇu)، إكليلًا صاغته السعادة والبهاء، تحفّ به النحل.

Word by Word

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + ktvā-pratyaya (कृदन्त)
• Form: अव्ययभावे क्त्वान्तः (gerund/absolutive) — ‘having seen’

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• sahasā: suddenly
• sahasā: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasā (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक अव्यय (manner adverb)

• vanamālayānvitā: adorned with a forest-garland
• vanamālayānvitā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vana-mālā (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘वनमाला-युक्ता’ इति तृतीया/सप्तमीभावे तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (possessed-with)

• lakṣmīḥ: Lakṣmī
• lakṣmīḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• gajāt: from the elephant
• gajāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन

• avatatāra: descended
• avatatāra: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-tṝ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परोक्षभूत/कथनभूत (perfect)

• suvismayantī: being greatly amazed
• suvismayantī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: su (उपपद) + vi-smī (धातु) + śatṛ-pratyaya (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वर्तमानकृदन्तः (present participle) — ‘being greatly astonished’

• kaṃṭhe: on the neck
• kaṃṭhe: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṃṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• sasarja: placed/let fall, put
• sasarja: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sṛj (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• puruṣasya: of the person
• puruṣasya: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• parasya: supreme
• parasya: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• viṣṇoḥ: of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇoḥ: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• mālām: garland
• mālām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• śriyā: by Śrī (Lakṣmī)
• śriyā: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• viracitām: made, fashioned
• viracitām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-rac (धातु) + kta-pratyaya (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle)

• bhramaraiḥ: with bees
• bhramaraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhramara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• upetām: accompanied by
• upetām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa-i (धातु) + kta-pratyaya (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः — ‘endowed/attended by’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Lakṣmī, wearing a vana-mālā, descends swiftly from an elephant in amazement and places a splendid bee-attended garland around Viṣṇu’s neck; the moment is ceremonial and fragrant, with motion and grace.

Characters & Entities

• Lakṣmī
• Viṣṇu
• Elephant (gaja)
• Forest garland (vana-mālā)
• Bees (bhramara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The soul’s recognition of the Supreme culminates in loving offering—symbolized by Lakṣmī’s garlanding of Viṣṇu.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra sacred region is the textual frame; the divine episode enhances the Mahātmya tone of Kedārakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A symbolic rite is depicted: mālā-dāna (offering/placing a garland) as an act of devotion and acceptance.