Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

प्रागेव चंडिकां देवीं क्षेत्रादीशानतः स्थिताम् । आसेदुर्मार्गखिन्नास्ते द्रौपदीपंचमास्तदा

Transliteration

prāgeva caṃḍikāṃ devīṃ kṣetrādīśānataḥ sthitām | āsedurmārgakhinnāste draupadīpaṃcamāstadā

Translation

Zuerst näherten sie sich Caṇḍikā Devī, die nordöstlich jenes heiligen Bezirks weilte. Vom Weg ermattet, gelangten sie damals dorthin, wobei Draupadī die Fünfte unter ihnen war.

Word by Word

• प्राक्: beforehand
• प्राक्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्राक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — ‘प्राक्’ (before/previously)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण) — ‘एव’ (indeed/just)

• चण्डिकाम्: Caṇḍikā
• चण्डिकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्डिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन — ‘चण्डिकाम्’

• देवीम्: the goddess
• देवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — ‘देवीम्’ (goddess)

• क्षेत्रात्: from the sacred place
• क्षेत्रात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन — ‘क्षेत्रात्’ (from the sacred place/field)

• ईशानतः: from the north-east
• ईशानतः: Adhikarana (Direction/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ईशान (प्रातिपदिक) + तः (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (दिशावाचक) — ‘ईशानतः’ (from the north-east)

• स्थिताम्: standing; situated
• स्थिताम्: Karma (Object-Qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘स्थित’ (standing/located), ‘देवीम्/चण्डिकाम्’ विशेषणम्

• आसेदुः: they approached
• आसेदुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√सद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन — ‘आसेदुः’ (they approached/reached)

• मार्ग-खिन्नाः: wearied by the journey
• मार्ग-खिन्नाः: Karta (Subject-Qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + खिन्न (कृदन्त/विशेषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — ‘मार्गेण खिन्नाः’ (wearied by the road); ‘ते’ विशेषणम्

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — ‘ते’ (they/those)

• द्रौपदी-पञ्चमाः: the five together with Draupadī
• द्रौपदी-पञ्चमाः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रौपदी (प्रातिपदिक) + पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — बहुव्रीहि: ‘द्रौपदी पञ्चमी यस्य/येषाम्’ = having Draupadī as the fifth (i.e., the five with Draupadī)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — ‘तदा’ (then)

Speaker

Narrator (within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Caṇḍikā-kṣetra (as implied by the shrine within the precinct)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Pāṇḍavas and Draupadī arrive dusty and weary at a northeastern shrine of Caṇḍikā—lion-emblem, trident motifs, red cloths—set slightly elevated, marking the edge of the sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Caṇḍikā Devī
• Pāṇḍavas
• Draupadī
• Īśāna (northeast direction)
• Kṣetra (sacred precinct)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrims seek refuge first in the Mother Goddess; sacred geography (directions within a kṣetra) is treated as spiritually meaningful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Caṇḍikā Devī location within a ‘kṣetra’ is indicated (northeast side), but the broader place-name is not provided in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated here; it narrates darśana/approach to the Devī shrine.