Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

आह्वानं चक्रिरे तस्याः सुरभ्याश्च तया सह । आगते तत्क्षमादेव कार्यार्थं ब्रह्मणस्तदा

Transliteration

āhvānaṃ cakrire tasyāḥ surabhyāśca tayā saha | āgate tatkṣamādeva kāryārthaṃ brahmaṇastadā

Translation

Daraufhin riefen sie jene herbei und ließen Surabhī mit ihr kommen. Sobald sie eingetroffen waren, wurde die Angelegenheit um Brahmās willen unverzüglich aufgenommen.

Word by Word

• आह्वानम्: summoning/call
• आह्वानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ + ह्वा (धातु) → आह्वान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; object of ‘did/made’

• चक्रिरे: they made
• चक्रिरे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद; ‘they made/did’

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन; ‘of her’ (Surabhī)

• सुरभ्याः: of Surabhī
• सुरभ्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुरभी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/पञ्चमी एकवचन; here षष्ठी ‘of Surabhī’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय ‘and’

• तया: with her
• तया: Sahakarana (Accompaniment/सहकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन; ‘with her/by her’

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakarana (Accompaniment/सहकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: सहार्थक-अव्यय (postposition) ‘together with’

• आगते: when (she) had come
• आगते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु) → आगत (कृदन्त/भूतकर्मणि)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), सप्तमी एकवचन (सप्तमी-absolute/locative absolute) नपुंसक/पुं-सम्भव; ‘when (she) had come’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Deictic/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषण of क्षमा (as ‘that’)

• क्षमा: Kṣamā (Earth/forbearance)
• क्षमा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; subject (personified Earth/forbearance)

• देव: O god
• देव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, संबोधन एकवचन; vocative ‘O god’

• कार्यार्थम्: for the task’s purpose
• कार्यार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (उद्देश्य/प्रयोजनार्थ) ‘कार्यस्य अर्थः/कार्याय’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘for the purpose of the task’

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन; ‘of Brahmā’

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb) ‘then’

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śrīkedāra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas formally summon Ketakī and Surabhī; they arrive promptly, and the inquiry begins immediately to serve Brahmā’s stated purpose.

Characters & Entities

• Surabhī
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred actions and testimonies should serve dharma; urgency should not override truth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra region (Kedārakhaṇḍa) is the setting; this verse is narrative context rather than a direct tirtha-phala statement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse describes summoning witnesses for a divine matter.