Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

बकभूपद्विजोलूकगृध्रकूर्मा विलोक्य च । नेमुः कलापग्रामे तं चिरंतनतपोनिधिम्

Transliteration

bakabhūpadvijolūkagṛdhrakūrmā vilokya ca | nemuḥ kalāpagrāme taṃ ciraṃtanataponidhim

Translation

তাঁকে দেখে বক, পশুরাজ (সিংহ), পক্ষী, পেঁচা, শকুন ও কচ্ছপ—কলাপ গ্রামে সেই চিরন্তন তপোনিধিকে প্রণাম করল।

Word by Word

• बकभूपद्विजोलूकगृध्रकूर्माः: cranes, kings, birds, owls, vultures, and tortoises
• बकभूपद्विजोलूकगृध्रकूर्माः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बक-भूप-द्विज-उलूक-गृध्र-कूर्म (प्रातिपदिक; list-compound)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); समाहार/इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (copulative enumeration)

• विलोक्य: having seen
• विलोक्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि-लोक् (धातु) + ल्यप् (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया (having seen)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• नेमुः: bowed down
• नेमुः: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• कलापग्रामे: in Kalāpa village
• कलापग्रामे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलाप-ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक; कलाप + ग्राम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• चिरंतनतपोनिधिम्: the ancient treasure of austerity
• चिरंतनतपोनिधिम्: Karma (Object; epithet)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिरंतन-तपस्-निधि (प्रातिपदिक; चिरंतन + तपस् + निधि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणात्मक-समास (treasury of ancient austerity)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Māheśvara-khaṇḍa discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kalāpa-grāma

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of creatures—crane, lion/king of beasts, birds, owl, vulture, and tortoise—bowing toward an ancient ascetic in Kalāpa village, signaling universal recognition of holiness.

Characters & Entities

• Kūrma
• Kalāpa-grāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Great tapas and holiness command reverence even from non-human beings, showing the universal recognition of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kalāpa-grāma (Kalāpa village) is the named locale where the revered ascetic is honored.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the act described is namaskāra (bowing) to a great tapasvin.