Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

पार्वत्युवाच । कथयस्व महादेव तीर्थं परमशोभनम् । भ्रूणहत्याहरं कस्मात्कामदं स्वर्गदर्शनम्

Transliteration

pārvatyuvāca | kathayasva mahādeva tīrthaṃ paramaśobhanam | bhrūṇahatyāharaṃ kasmātkāmadaṃ svargadarśanam

Translation

Pārvatī sprach: «Berichte mir, o Mahādeva, von jener überaus herrlichen Tīrtha. Wie nimmt sie die Sünde der Tötung des Ungeborenen hinweg, erfüllt Wünsche und schenkt die Schau des Himmels?»

Word by Word

• पार्वती: Pārvatī
• पार्वती: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• कथयस्व: tell (me)
• कथयस्व: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु; णिजन्त)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• महादेव: O Mahādeva
• महादेव: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-देव (प्रातिपदिक; महा + देव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तीर्थम्: the sacred place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• परमशोभनम्: most splendid
• परमशोभनम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम-शोभन (प्रातिपदिक; परम + शोभन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• भ्रूणहत्या: of embryo-killing (sin)
• भ्रूणहत्या: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रूण-हत्या (प्रातिपदिक; भ्रूण + हत्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular) [समासपूर्वपद]

• हरम्: removing
• हरम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• कस्मात्: from what (cause)? / why?
• कस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (हेतु/अपादान; 'from what cause/why')
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular); प्रश्नवाचक (interrogative)

• कामदम्: wish-granting
• कामदम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कामद (प्रातिपदिक; काम + द)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• स्वर्गदर्शनम्: (giving) vision of heaven
• स्वर्गदर्शनम्: Karma (कर्म/Object; as attribute/apposition to tīrtha)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग-दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक; स्वर्ग + दर्शन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Pārvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādeva (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī, attentive and earnest, asks Mahādeva to explain how the tīrtha grants such powerful fruits; Śiva sits composed, ready to detail the rationale and rite; the Revā glimmers nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• Śiva (Mahādeva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Authentic dharma-knowledge grows through humble inquiry; the Devī seeks the cause (kasmāt) behind tīrtha-power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same unnamed, “supremely splendid” Revā-north-bank tīrtha introduced by Śiva.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; it requests the explanatory māhātmya (glory and rationale) of the tīrtha.