Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

भिक्षुरूपं परं कृत्वा देवदेवो महेश्वरः । एकशालां गतो ग्रामं भिक्षार्थी क्षुत्पिपासितः

Transliteration

bhikṣurūpaṃ paraṃ kṛtvā devadevo maheśvaraḥ | ekaśālāṃ gato grāmaṃ bhikṣārthī kṣutpipāsitaḥ

Translation

Revêtant la forme suprême d’un mendiant, Maheśvara, Dieu des dieux, se rendit au village nommé Ekaśālā pour demander l’aumône, paraissant affamé et assoiffé.

Word by Word

• bhikṣu-rūpam: the form of a mendicant
• bhikṣu-rūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhikṣu (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• param: supreme; excellent
• param: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (bhikṣurūpam इति)

• kṛtvā: having made/assuming
• kṛtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having done/made’

• deva-devaḥ: the god of gods
• deva-devaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘देवानां देवः’)

• maheśvaraḥ: Maheshvara (Great Lord)
• maheśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

• eka-śālām: a single-hut (house)
• eka-śālām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + śālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (‘एकैव शाला यस्याः/या’)

• gataḥ: went; having gone
• gataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘gone’

• grāmam: to the village
• grāmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• bhikṣā-arthī: seeking alms
• bhikṣā-arthī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhikṣā (प्रातिपदिक) + arthin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (चतुर्थी/षष्ठीभावः: ‘भिक्षायै अर्थी’)

• kṣut-pipāsitaḥ: hungry and thirsty
• kṣut-pipāsitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣut (प्रातिपदिक) + pipāsita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (क्षुत् च पिपासा च) तदर्थे ‘क्षुत्पिपासितः’ = ‘hungry and thirsty’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual) / Ekaśālā-grāma episode

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava addressee implied by later vocative (Pārtha) in the passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva as a supreme mendicant enters the village Ekaśālā, appearing hungry and thirsty, carrying the aura of divinity beneath deliberate simplicity.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Ekaśālā (village)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord may appear as a beggar to reveal dharma—testing hospitality, charity, and humility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ekaśālā is introduced as the narrative location; later verses typically unfold its sacred significance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, bhikṣā-dāna (giving alms) and honoring guests/ascetics are upheld as dharma.