Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

याते काले महेन्द्रेण सनन्दनमहोत्सवे । निमंत्रितस्तत्कथितां भाविनीमशृणोत्कथाम्

Transliteration

yāte kāle mahendreṇa sanandanamahotsave | nimaṃtritastatkathitāṃ bhāvinīmaśṛṇotkathām

Translation

Zu gegebener Zeit, als Mahendra das große Fest zu Ehren Sanandanas beging, wurde er dorthin eingeladen und vernahm von ihm die Erzählung dessen, was künftig geschehen sollte.

Word by Word

• याते: when (the time) had passed/come
• याते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यात (कृदन्त; √या (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'काले' इत्यनेन सह सति-सप्तमीभावः

• काले: at the time
• काले: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महेन्द्रेण: by Mahendra (Indra)
• महेन्द्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• सनन्दनमहोत्सवे: at the great festival of Sanandana
• सनन्दनमहोत्सवे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सनन्दन + महोत्सव (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (सनन्दनस्य महोत्सवः), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निमंत्रितः: (he) having been invited
• निमंत्रितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निमन्त्रित (कृदन्त; √मन्त्र् (धातु) + नि उपसर्ग + क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे 'invited' (as predicate of subject)

• तत्कथिताम्: told by him/that (previously) told
• तत्कथिताम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम) + कथित (कृदन्त; √कथ् + क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (तेन/तस्य कथिता), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• भाविनीम्: future, impending
• भाविनीम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भाविनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (future/impending)

• अशृणोत्: he heard
• अशृणोत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कथाम्: a story/account
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahendra/Mahendragiri (contextual)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand festival on a sacred mountain: banners, sacrificial fires, sages seated in rows; Mahendra/host presides; the invited king listens as a revered speaker narrates future events; celestial beings hover.

Characters & Entities

• Mahendra (Indra)
• Sanandana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine counsel and foreknowledge guide a dharmic life, especially when linked to sacred vows and pilgrimages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; it sets up the later instruction about a specific tīrtha in the Setu region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly here; the verse introduces a forthcoming instruction.