Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

उत्पन्नेयं महाभागा देवकार्यार्थमेव च । प्रदातव्या शिवायेति शिवस्यार्थेऽवतारिता

Transliteration

utpanneyaṃ mahābhāgā devakāryārthameva ca | pradātavyā śivāyeti śivasyārthe'vatāritā

Translation

Diese Hochbegnadete ist wahrlich zum Zwecke des Werkes der Götter geboren; sie soll Śiva gegeben werden — sie ist herabgestiegen um Śivas eigenen Willen willen.

Word by Word

• utpannā: born, arisen
• utpannā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: utpad (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि/परिणामः) — feminine nominative singular past passive participle

• iyam: this (she)
• iyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम — feminine nominative singular pronoun

• mahābhāgā: O fortunate lady
• mahābhāgā: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; संबोधनार्थेऽपि प्रयोगः — feminine nominative singular (used as vocative sense)

• deva: of the gods
• deva: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; समासपूर्वपद — masculine genitive plural (as prior member)

• kārya: of the task/purpose
• kārya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद — neuter genitive singular (as prior member)

• artham: for the sake
• artham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — masculine accusative singular

• eva: indeed, only
• eva: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• pradātavyā: to be given
• pradātavyā: Karya (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + dā (धातु) + tavya (कृत्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (कर्तव्यता/विधेयता) — feminine nominative singular gerundive ‘to be given’

• śivāya: to Śiva
• śivāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन — masculine dative singular

• iti: thus
• iti: Avyaya (Quotative/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इत्यादि-उद्धरणार्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• śivasya: of Śiva
• śivasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन — masculine genitive singular

• arthe: for the purpose
• arthe: Adhikarana (Locus/Purpose-sphere/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — masculine locative singular

• avatāritā: brought down, incarnated
• avatāritā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ava + tṝ (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त — feminine nominative singular ‘caused to descend/manifested’

Speaker

Menā (continuing), within Sūta’s narration (deduced from context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (standard Purāṇic frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages counsel that the maiden’s birth is for the gods’ purpose and that she must be offered to Śiva; a solemn, destiny-laden courtly-hermitage scene in the Himalayas.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Devas (implied)
• Girijā (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Lives and events unfold within a larger divine intention; aligning personal choices with that purpose is dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedārakhaṇḍa’s Śaiva frame (Kedāra sacred region) provides the devotional setting for Śiva’s cosmic purpose.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The stated prescription is “pradātavyā śivāya”—she is to be offered/given to Śiva (marriage intention).