Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

कालिकाऽपाययत्स्तन्यं मा रुदेति प्रजल्पती । स्तन्य व्याजेन बालोऽपि पपौ क्रोधं तदंगजम्

Transliteration

kālikā'pāyayatstanyaṃ mā rudeti prajalpatī | stanya vyājena bālo'pi papau krodhaṃ tadaṃgajam

Translation

Kālikā made him drink her milk, softly saying, “Do not cry.” Yet under the pretext of nursing, the child also drank up her anger that had arisen from her own being.

Word by Word

• कालिका: Kālikā
• कालिका: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• अपाययत्: made (him) drink / fed
• अपाययत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); णिजन्त (causative)

• स्तन्यम्: milk
• स्तन्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• मा: do not
• मा: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle)

• रुद: cry
• रुद: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रुद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्य-समाप्ति-सूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• प्रजल्पती: speaking/uttering
• प्रजल्पती: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + जल्प् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present participle/शतृ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; परस्मैपद-प्रयोग

• स्तन्य: with milk (as a pretext)
• स्तन्य: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular) (छन्दसि/प्रयोगे)

• व्याजेन: by pretext
• व्याजेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• बालः: the boy
• बालः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• पपौ: drank
• पपौ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• क्रोधम्: anger
• क्रोधम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रोध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• तदङ्गजम्: born of her/that (i.e., her offspring)
• तदङ्गजम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्गज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: तस्य अङ्गजः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रोधम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dark, fierce Kālikā cradles a divine child at her breast; the child nurses calmly while a visible aura of red-black anger/poison is drawn into him and dissolves into light; surrounding devas watch in anxious reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Kālikā
• Rudra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power can transmute destructive emotion (krodha) into peace, restoring auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it depicts pacification through divine līlā rather than a formal rite.