Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । किमर्थं मुनिशार्दूल ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः । आराधयद्देवदेवं महाभक्त्या महेश्वरम्

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kimarthaṃ muniśārdūla brahmā lokapitāmahaḥ | ārādhayaddevadevaṃ mahābhaktyā maheśvaram

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira dit : Ô tigre parmi les sages, pour quelle raison Brahmā, l’aïeul des mondes, adora-t-il avec une grande dévotion Maheśvara, le Dieu des dieux ?

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• किमर्थम्: for what reason? why?
• किमर्थम्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• मुनिशार्दूल: O tiger among sages
• मुनिशार्दूल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + शार्दूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मुनीनां शार्दूलः)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• लोकपितामहः: grandfather of the world
• लोकपितामहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लोकस्य पितामहः)

• आराधयत्: worshipped, propitiated
• आराधयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + राध् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• देवदेवम्: the god of gods
• देवदेवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानां देवः)

• महाभक्त्या: with great devotion
• महाभक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महा भक्ति)

• महेश्वरम्: Mahēśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् ईश्वरः)

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhṛgu-tīrtha / Paitāmaha (contextual)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully questions Mārkaṇḍeya, hands folded, about why Brahmā worshipped Maheśvara; the riverbank hermitage setting suggests a teaching moment before the tīrtha visit.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Brahmā
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Devadeva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True inquiry (jijñāsā) into sacred history deepens faith; even Brahmā’s devotion to Śiva is presented as worthy of contemplation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implicitly the Bhṛgu-tīrtha context continues, though the verse itself frames the question about Brahmā’s worship rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it introduces the rationale behind Brahmā’s ārādhana of Maheśvara.