Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

कुर्वती पितरं बाला सम्यक्परिचचार ह । कदाचित्सा तु वल्यर्थं पुष्पाण्याहर्तुमुद्यता

Transliteration

kurvatī pitaraṃ bālā samyakparicacāra ha | kadācitsā tu valyarthaṃ puṣpāṇyāhartumudyatā

Translation

So diente das Mädchen seinem Vater in rechter Weise. Eines Tages machte sie sich auf, um für die Opfergabe Blumen zu holen, und ging hinaus, sie zu pflücken.

Word by Word

• कुर्वती: serving
• कुर्वती: Karta (Participial—subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘doing/serving’

• पितरम्: (her) father
• पितरम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• बाला: the girl
• बाला: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सम्यक्: properly
• सम्यक्: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverb of manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb: properly, well)

• परिचचार: attended upon, served
• परिचचार: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-चर् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग ‘परि’

• ह: indeed/then
• ह: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; narrative emphasis)

• कदाचित्: once
• कदाचित्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: once, at some time)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तु: then, however
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle: but/then)

• बल्यर्थम्: for offering (bali)
• बल्यर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि-अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; बलि + अर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थक

• पुष्पाणि: flowers
• पुष्पाणि: Karma (Object of infinitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• आहर्तुम्: to bring
• आहर्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-हृ (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृदन्त)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), ‘to bring’

• उद्यता: ready, intent
• उद्यता: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of सा)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्यत (प्रातिपदिक; √यत्/यम् with उद्; past passive participle used adjectivally)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘ready/intent’

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu-kṣetra (contextual frame)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kāntimatī, after serving her father, steps out with a basket, turning toward the forest path; the hermitage recedes behind, suggesting a narrative threshold moment.

Characters & Entities

• Kāntimatī
• Gālava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere service in small duties becomes the starting point for larger sacred destinies in Purāṇic narratives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None explicitly; the action initiates the chain of events that will connect to the tīrtha’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gathering flowers for bali (offering) as part of regular āśrama worship.