Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

एवमस्त्विति शर्वेण प्रोक्ते हृष्टा कुमारिका । यत्र दग्धं शिरस्तस्या बर्कर्याः कुरुसत्तम

Transliteration

evamastviti śarveṇa prokte hṛṣṭā kumārikā | yatra dagdhaṃ śirastasyā barkaryāḥ kurusattama

Translation

Als Śarva sprach: „So sei es“, freute sich Kumārī. O Bester der Kurus, dies geschah an dem Ort, wo der Kopf jener Barkarī verbrannt wurde.

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (एवम् अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार-बोधक अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• astu: let it be
• astu: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (इति अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण सूचक अव्यय

• śarveṇa: by Śarva (Śiva)
• śarveṇa: Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarva (शर्व प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्तृ-हेतु), एकवचन

• prokte: when it was said
• prokte: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + vac (वच् धातु) + prokta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; लोके ‘प्रोक्ते’ = ‘when (it was) said’ (locative absolute)

• hṛṣṭā: delighted
• hṛṣṭā: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hṛṣ (हृष् धातु) + hṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; predicate adjective

• kumārikā: the young maiden
• kumārikā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumārikā (कुमारिका प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (यत्र अव्यय)
• Form: देश-बोधक सम्बन्ध-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• dagdham: burnt
• dagdham: Karma (Predicate of object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dah (दह् धातु) + dagdha (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here as predicate with śiras

• śiraḥ: head
• śiraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (शिरस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• barkaryāḥ: of Barkarī
• barkaryāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: barkarī (बर्करी प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• kurusattama: O best of the Kurus
• kurusattama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuru + sattama (सत्तम प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समास: कुरुषु सत्तमः (best among the Kurus)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced); with an address to a Kuru listener preserved in the verse

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Barkareśa-sthāna (dahita-śiras marker)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kurūsattama

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva says ‘So be it’; Kumārī rejoices. The narration points to the specific ground where Barkarī’s head was burned—an event-marker for the kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Śarva (Śiva)
• Kumārī
• Barkarī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s consent sanctifies a location; past events become enduring sacred markers in purāṇic sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The place associated with Barkarī’s burned head is identified as the locus for the Barkareśa tradition that follows.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it provides the identifying sacred sign (aetiology) used by pilgrims to recognize the site.