Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

सत्युवाच । पितुर्मम महायज्ञे कस्मात्तव न रोचते । गमनं देवदेवश तत्सर्वं कथय प्रभो

Transliteration

satyuvāca | piturmama mahāyajñe kasmāttava na rocate | gamanaṃ devadevaśa tatsarvaṃ kathaya prabho

Translation

Satyā sprach: „Beim großen Opfer meines Vaters—warum gefällt es dir nicht, dorthin zu gehen, o Herr der Götter? Berichte mir alles, o Gebieter.“

Word by Word

• सती: Satī
• सती: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पितुः: of (my) father
• पितुः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• महायज्ञे: in the great sacrifice
• महायज्ञे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महायज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (महान् यज्ञः)

• कस्मात्: why / from what reason
• कस्मात्: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक सर्वनाम; हेत्वर्थे (ablative of cause)

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• रोचते: pleases / is agreeable
• रोचते: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• गमनम्: the going / departure
• गमनम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गमन (प्रातिपदिक; √गम् + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; भाववाचक नाम (action noun)

• देवदेवश: O Lord of the gods
• देवदेवश: Sambodhana (Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (देवानां देवः, तस्य ईशः)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; विशेषण

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• कथय: tell
• कथय: Kriyā (Imperative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रभो: O Lord
• प्रभो: Sambodhana (Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th), एकवचन

Speaker

Satyā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dakṣa-yajña-sthala (archetypal)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (ṛṣis/audience, implicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Satī (Satyā) earnestly questions Śiva: why he dislikes going to her father Dakṣa’s grand sacrifice; her posture is respectful yet insistent, hands in añjali or questioning mudrā; Śiva listens with grave calm.

Characters & Entities

• Satyā
• Śiva
• Dakṣa
• Mahāyajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires discernment: not every grand ritual (mahāyajña) is worthy if it lacks respect and right intention.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse concerns Dakṣa’s yajña setting; it is not a tīrtha-glorification passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A “mahāyajña” is mentioned as context, but no procedural injunction is given.