Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । गणेशः स्थापितः केन कस्मात्स्थापितवानसौ । किं नामासौ महाभाग तन्मे कथय मा चिरम्

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | gaṇeśaḥ sthāpitaḥ kena kasmātsthāpitavānasau | kiṃ nāmāsau mahābhāga tanme kathaya mā ciram

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira dijo: ¿Por quién fue instalado Gaṇeśa, y por qué motivo lo instaló? ¿Cuál es su nombre, oh gran bienaventurado? Dímelo sin demora.

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘said’

• गणेशः: Gaṇeśa
• गणेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण-ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी): ‘गणानाम् ईशः’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन

• स्थापितः: was established
• स्थापितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + णिच् → स्थापय + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘was established’

• केन: by whom
• केन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental) एकवचन; ‘by whom?’

• कस्मात्: why / from what reason
• कस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम, पञ्चमी (5th/ablative) एकवचन; ‘from what cause/why?’

• स्थापितवान्: did establish
• स्थापितवान्: Kriya (Participial predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + णिच् → स्थापय + क्तवतुँ (कृदन्त)
• Form: कर्तरि कृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘having established/one who established’

• असौ: he (that one)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘that one/he’

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘what?’

• नाम: exactly
• नाम: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle) प्रश्ने: ‘indeed/just’ ~ ‘what (exactly)’

• असौ: he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘that one/he’

• महाभाग: O greatly fortunate one
• महाभाग: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास: ‘महान् भागः यस्य’ (as address); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन

• तत्: that (matter)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘that’ (referring to the matter)

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4th/dative) एकवचन; ‘to me’

• कथय: tell
• कथय: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु; कथ् + णिच्)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘tell’

• मा: do not
• मा: Sambandha (Prohibition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध/ prohibitive particle): ‘do not’

• चिरम्: for long
• चिरम्: Sambandha (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (कालवाचक adverb): ‘for long/long time’

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṇādhipa shrine (southern guardian) at Satyamaṃdira

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Vyāsa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, attentive and earnest, questions Vyāsa about Gaṇeśa’s installation—who installed him, why, and what name he bears in this kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Gaṇeśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is transmitted through disciplined inquiry—asking about cause, agent, and name to understand a tīrtha’s deeper dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Satyamaṃdira (implied), specifically the placement of Gaṇeśa within its protective scheme.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a question prompting the forthcoming origin account (utpatti-kāraṇa).