Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तथा मातृगणस्तेन स्वामिना स्थापितो दिवि । मृत्योः कन्यां च संगृह्य कार्त्तिकेयस्त्वरान्वितः

Transliteration

tathā mātṛgaṇastena svāminā sthāpito divi | mṛtyoḥ kanyāṃ ca saṃgṛhya kārttikeyastvarānvitaḥ

Translation

Ebenso setzte jener Herr im Himmel die Schar der Mütter (Mātṛ-gaṇa) ein; und indem er die Tochter des Todes mit sich nahm, zog Kārttikeya, von Dringlichkeit erfüllt, weiter voran.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus / likewise
• तथा: सम्बन्ध/प्रकार (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (likewise/so)

• मातृगणः: the group of Mothers
• मातृगणः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: मातॄणां गणः), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तेन: by him
• तेन: कर्ता (Agent, in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्वामिना: by the lord/master
• स्वामिना: कर्ता (Agent, in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वामिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्थापितः: was established/placed
• स्थापितः: विधेय (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + णिच् (causative) → स्थापय् + त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle of causative), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); मातृगणः इत्यस्य विधेय

• दिवि: in heaven
• दिवि: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्/द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• मृत्योः: of Death (Mṛtyu)
• मृत्योः: सम्बन्ध (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• कन्याम्: daughter
• कन्याम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• संगृह्य: having taken/accepted
• संगृह्य: पूर्वकाल-क्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय-स्वरूप (indeclinable)

• कार्त्तिकेयः: Kārttikeya
• कार्त्तिकेयः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्त्तिकेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्वरा-अन्वितः: endowed with haste
• त्वरा-अन्वितः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वरा + अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष: त्वरया अन्वितः = endowed with haste), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कार्त्तिकेयः इत्यस्य विशेषण

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedārakṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi audience / pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda swiftly establishes the Mātṛ-gaṇa in the heavens like a protective constellation-court, then strides forward with purposeful haste, accompanied by the enigmatic ‘daughter of Death,’ suggesting a liminal power over mortality.

Characters & Entities

• Kārttikeya
• Mātṛgaṇa (Mātṛkās)
• Mṛtyu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Protection of the worlds is a sacred duty: divine powers are stationed appropriately to uphold dharma and restrain chaos.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Kedārakhaṇḍa (Kedāra region) narrative context, though the verse itself focuses on heavenly establishment rather than a local tīrtha act.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit vrata, snāna, dāna, or japa is stated here.