Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 112

Devanagari script

गिरिजोवाच । रे भृंगिन्मौनमालंब्य स्थिरो भवाथ वा व्रज । वाच्यावाच्यं न जानासि किं ब्रवीषि पिशाचवत्

Transliteration

girijovāca | re bhṛṃginmaunamālaṃbya sthiro bhavātha vā vraja | vācyāvācyaṃ na jānāsi kiṃ bravīṣi piśācavat

Translation

Girijā sprach: „O Bhṛṅgi! Nimm Zuflucht im Schweigen—sei standhaft, sonst geh fort. Du weißt nicht, was gesagt werden darf und was nicht; warum redest du wie ein piśāca (ein Ghul)?“

Word by Word

• girijā: Girijā
• girijā: Karta (Speaker)
• Type: Noun
• Root: girijā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• re: hey!
• re: Sambodhana (Address marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: re (अव्यय)
• Form: संबोधनार्थक निपात (vocative particle)

• bhṛṃgin: O Bhṛṅgin
• bhṛṃgin: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛṃgin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), संबोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• maunam: silence
• maunam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mauna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ālaṃbya: having adopted
• ālaṃbya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + lamb (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund): 'having resorted to/taking hold of'

• sthiraḥ: steady
• sthiraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st), एकवचन (Singular); विधेयविशेषण (predicative adjective)

• bhava: be
• bhava: Kriyā (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• atha: or else/then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse/alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक/विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (then/else; here in alternative with vā)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• vraja: go
• vraja: Kriyā (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vraj (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• vācya-avācyam: what should and should not be said
• vācya-avācyam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vācya (प्रातिपदिक; वच्-धातोः यत्) + avācya (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्+वाच्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular); द्वन्द्वः (copulative)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• jānāsi: you know
• jānāsi: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative, 2nd), एकवचन (Singular); प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम (interrogative)

• bravīṣi: you speak
• bravīṣi: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• piśāca-vat: like a demon
• piśāca-vat: Prakāra (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: piśāca (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (तद्धित प्रत्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (adverbial: 'like/as')

Speaker

Girijā (Pārvatī/Satī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Girijā rebukes Bhṛṅgī with commanding dignity—hand raised in admonition, eyes sharp; Bhṛṅgī stands chastened. The Himalayan shrine setting underscores austerity and the gravity of words.

Characters & Entities

• Girijā (Pārvatī)
• Bhṛṅgi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes disciplined speech; when speech becomes harmful, silence (mauna) and restraint are praised.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode belongs to Kedāra’s sacred narrative cycle (Kedārakhaṇḍa), anchoring the teaching in a tīrtha-mahātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal ritual is prescribed; the verse recommends mauna (silence) as a spiritual discipline.