Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

अर्जुन उवाच । कुमारनाथमाहात्म्यं यत्त्वयोक्तं कथांतरे । तदहं श्रोतुमिच्छामि विस्तरेण महामुने

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca | kumāranāthamāhātmyaṃ yattvayoktaṃ kathāṃtare | tadahaṃ śrotumicchāmi vistareṇa mahāmune

Translation

Arjuna sprach: „Die Größe Kumāranāthas, die du im Verlauf einer anderen Erzählung erwähnt hast, möchte ich ausführlich hören, o großer Weiser.“

Word by Word

• arjunaḥ: Arjuna
• arjunaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arjuna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• kumāra-nātha-māhātmyam: the glory of Kumāranātha
• kumāra-nātha-māhātmyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumāra (प्रातिपदिक) + nātha (प्रातिपदिक) + māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘कुमारनाथस्य माहात्म्यम्’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (Correlative object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (यत्-सम्बन्ध)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (युष्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• uktam: spoken
• uktam: Kriya (Participial predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि (spoken)

• kathā-antare: in another discourse/elsewhere in the story
• kathā-antare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष: ‘कथायाम् अन्तरे’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

• śrotum: to hear
• śrotum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (श्रु धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), श्रवणक्रिया-उद्देश्य (to hear)

• icchāmi: I desire
• icchāmi: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: iṣ (इष् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• vistareṇa: in detail
• vistareṇa: Karana (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (अव्ययीभावार्थे—‘विस्तरेण’ = in detail)

• mahā-mune: O great sage
• mahā-mune: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास, पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Arjuna

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kumāranātha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Arjuna, seated respectfully with folded hands, requests Nārada to narrate the Kumāranātha māhātmya in detail; a forest hermitage setting with a vīṇā-bearing sage.

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Kumāranātha
• Mahāmuni (Nārada—implied next speaker)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A seeker’s humility and eagerness to hear māhātmya in detail is portrayed as the doorway to deeper dharmic understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kumāranātha (a sacred Śaiva/Skanda-associated locale introduced for detailed praise).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a request to hear (śravaṇa) the māhātmya.