Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

पार्वत्युवाच । कथमेतद्भवेत्सत्यं यत्रेदमसमञ्जसम् । स्नानं कुर्वन्ति बहवो लोका ह्यत्र महेश्वर

Transliteration

pārvatyuvāca | kathametadbhavetsatyaṃ yatredamasamañjasam | snānaṃ kurvanti bahavo lokā hyatra maheśvara

Translation

Pārvatī dit : «Comment cela peut-il être vrai, alors que cela paraît si déroutant ? Beaucoup de gens se baignent ici, ô Maheśvara.»

Word by Word

• पार्वती: Pārvatī
• पार्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Prashna/Avyaya (Interrogative modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• भवेत्: could be / would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• सत्यम्: true; truth
• सत्यम्: Karma/Predicative (Object/Predicate complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb of place)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• असमञ्जसम्: inconsistent; improper
• असमञ्जसम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असमञ्जस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘idam’)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कुर्वन्ति: do; perform
• कुर्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• बहवः: many
• बहवः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘lokāḥ’)

• लोकाः: people
• लोकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• हि: indeed; for
• हि: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/causal)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• महेश्वर: O Maheśvara (Great Lord)
• महेश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः ‘महा+ईश्वर’ (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः; ‘great lord’)

Speaker

Pārvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) snāna-prasaṅga

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (primary audience, implicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī, seated beside Maheśvara on a riverbank, gestures toward crowds bathing in the sacred river, her face showing puzzled wonder; Śiva listens calmly.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Snāna (ritual bathing)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even common rites like tīrtha-bathing require right understanding; questioning leads to clarity about faith and फल (results).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The bathing context points to the Revā/Narmadā tīrtha-region described in the Revā-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (sacred bathing) is referenced as a widely performed act at this place.