Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

कदाचिदथ मेरुस्थो वासवः पांडुनंदन । सस्मारा मां ययौ चाहं संस्मृतो वासवं तदा

Transliteration

kadācidatha merustho vāsavaḥ pāṃḍunaṃdana | sasmārā māṃ yayau cāhaṃ saṃsmṛto vāsavaṃ tadā

Translation

Once, while Vāsava (Indra) was upon Mount Meru, O son of Pāṇḍu, he remembered me; and I too, thus called to mind, went to Vāsava at that time.

Word by Word

• kadācit: once, at some time
• kadācit: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'at some time/once')

• atha: then, now
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुबन्ध/आरम्भसूचक-निपात (particle: 'then/now')

• meru-sthaḥ: standing on Meru
• meru-sthaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (merau sthitaḥ = 'situated on Meru')

• vāsavaḥ: Vāsava (Indra)
• vāsavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• pāṇḍu-nandana: O son of Pāṇḍu
• pāṇḍu-nandana: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇḍu (प्रातिपदिक) + nandana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (pāṇḍoḥ nandanaḥ = 'son of Pāṇḍu')

• sasmāra: remembered
• sasmāra: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन

• mām: me
• mām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd); एकवचन

• yayau: came, went
• yayau: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction: 'and')

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• saṃsmṛtaḥ: remembered (having been remembered)
• saṃsmṛtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + smṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः ('having been remembered')

• vāsavam: Vāsava (Indra)
• vāsavam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'then/at that time')

Speaker

Nārada (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Meru (deva-sthāna)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍunandana (a Pāṇḍava; commonly Yudhiṣṭhira)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra seated upon radiant Meru remembers the narrator; a luminous messenger-like presence arrives instantly, suggesting the power of remembrance across worlds.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Vāsava)
• Meru
• Pāṇḍunandana (addressed listener)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembrance and sincere calling (smaraṇa) draws the wise and the divine together—communication in Dharma begins with mindful invocation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mount Meru is mentioned as a cosmic sacred mountain, but no pilgrimage tīrtha is praised in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the emphasis is on smaraṇa (remembrance) as a spiritual act.