Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

इत्येव मुक्त्वा ते जग्मुस्त्रयोऽपि द्विजपुंगवाः । कैलासं ददृशुस्तत्र तमुलूकं स्वनीडगम्

Transliteration

ityeva muktvā te jagmustrayo'pi dvijapuṃgavāḥ | kailāsaṃ dadṛśustatra tamulūkaṃ svanīḍagam

Translation

So sprechend machten sich die drei erhabenen Brāhmaṇas auf den Weg. Dort erblickten sie den Kailāsa und auch jene Eule in ihrem eigenen Nest.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, वाक्यसमाप्त्यर्थक-निपात (quotative)

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण-निपात (emphasis)

• मुक्त्वा: having said/uttered
• मुक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिकक्रिया (‘having spoken/uttered’ in context)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• जग्मुः: went
• जग्मुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• त्रयः: three
• त्रयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन (numeral used substantively)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपात (‘also/even’)

• द्विजपुंगवाः: the foremost brāhmaṇas
• द्विजपुंगवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + पुंगव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थः (‘best of the twice-born’)

• कैलासम्: Kailāsa
• कैलासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैलास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• ददृशुः: saw
• ददृशुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• तम्: that
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; विशेषण (to उलूकम्)

• उलूकम्: owl
• उलूकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उलूक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• स्वनीडगम्: in its own nest
• स्वनीडगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + नीड + ग (गम्-धातुज; ग-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (‘gone to/being in its own nest’) विशेषण (to उलूकम्)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrative voice; within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kailāsa

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three eminent brāhmaṇas behold the snow-bright Kailāsa; nearby, an owl sits in its nest, watchful—an uncanny yet natural presence at the sacred threshold.

Characters & Entities

• Kailāsa
• Prākārakarṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approaching sacred space (Kailāsa) is part of dharmic striving; the journey itself becomes a means to fulfill righteous aims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kailāsa—Śiva’s famed mountain abode—is explicitly mentioned.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates travel and darśana (beholding) of the sacred mountain.