Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

कथयंति स्वमात्मानं येन मोक्षः पिनाकिनः । ततः कष्टसमाविष्टा गौरी वह्निभयातुरा

Transliteration

kathayaṃti svamātmānaṃ yena mokṣaḥ pinākinaḥ | tataḥ kaṣṭasamāviṣṭā gaurī vahnibhayāturā

Translation

Ils exposèrent leur propre état intérieur, par lequel le Seigneur porteur de la Pināka accorde la délivrance. Alors Gaurī, envahie par l’épreuve et troublée par la crainte du feu, réagit.

Word by Word

• kathayanti: they tell, they describe
• kathayanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (धातु) → kathayati
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• svam: one's own
• svam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; 'आत्मानम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ātmānam: self
• ātmānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• yena: by which, through which
• yena: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; साधन/हेतुवाचक

• mokṣaḥ: liberation
• mokṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• pinākinaḥ: of Pinākin (Śiva)
• pinākinaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pinākin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय/तद्-प्रभव)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/हेतुवाचक (then/thereupon)

• kaṣṭa-samāviṣṭā: overcome by distress
• kaṣṭa-samāviṣṭā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + sam-ā-√viś (धातु) → samāviṣṭa (कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) 'समाविष्ट'; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; 'गौरी' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• gaurī: Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• gaurī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• vahni-bhaya-āturā: distressed by fear of fire
• vahni-bhaya-āturā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vahni (प्रातिपदिक) + bhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + ātura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; 'गौरी' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Deductive: a Purāṇic narrator addressing a king

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kālākūṭa (contextual)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sādhakas gathered on the peak speak earnestly of the inner state that brings mokṣa through Pinākin; nearby, Gaurī recoils slightly from the homa flames, her face showing strain and fear, the firelight reflecting on her ornaments and ash-marked ascetics.

Characters & Entities

• Pinākin (Śiva)
• Mokṣa
• Gaurī
• Vahni (Agni)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is associated with Śiva’s grace and right understanding, while the narrative also acknowledges the intensity of tapas and its trials.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode unfolds within Dharmāraṇya’s sacred narrative frame; the site’s merit is elaborated in nearby verses.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription here; it references mokṣa-teaching and the ordeal connected with fire.