Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

ययातिरुवाच । कस्मिन्काले तपस्तप्तं देव्या तत्र मुनीश्वर । किमर्थं च महत्त्वेतत्कौतुकं वक्तुमर्हसि

Transliteration

yayātiruvāca | kasminkāle tapastaptaṃ devyā tatra munīśvara | kimarthaṃ ca mahattvetatkautukaṃ vaktumarhasi

Translation

Yayāti sprach: „Zu welcher Zeit übte die Göttin dort tapas, o Herr unter den Weisen? Und aus welchem Grund ist dieser Ort so groß? Bitte erkläre dieses wunderbare Geschehen.“

Word by Word

• ययातिः: Yayāti
• ययातिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ययाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• कस्मिन्: in which
• कस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• काले: time
• काले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• तप्तम्: was performed (lit. heated/practised)
• तप्तम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• देव्या: by the goddess
• देव्या: Karana (Instrument/Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• मुनीश्वर: O lord of sages
• मुनीश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (munīnām īśvaraḥ)

• किमर्थम्: for what reason/why
• किमर्थम्: Hetu/Prayojana (Reason/Purpose/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb); तत्पुरुष-समास (kim + artham)

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

• महत्त्वे: in greatness/importance
• महत्त्वे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• कौतुकम्: wonder, curiosity
• कौतुकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौतुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वक्तुम्: to tell
• वक्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (Infinitive), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• अर्हसि: you are fit/you should
• अर्हसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Yayāti

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Īśānī-śikhara

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pulastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Yayāti, attentive and respectful, questions Pulastya beside a mountain path; the peak rises in the background, hinting at the mystery of Devī’s tapas; the scene is poised at the threshold of a longer legend.

Characters & Entities

• Yayāti
• Pulastya
• Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• Īśānī-śikhara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is learned through śraddhā-filled inquiry: asking about the origin and purpose of a tīrtha reveals its deeper spiritual meaning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Īśānī-śikhara, whose greatness Yayāti asks Pulastya to explain.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the verse models inquiry and attentive listening as a gateway to understanding tīrtha-māhātmya.