Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तीर्थानामुद्भवः पुण्यात्कथं चारुणपर्वतात् । उपसंहृतसर्वांगः कथं वा वद मेऽचलः

Transliteration

tīrthānāmudbhavaḥ puṇyātkathaṃ cāruṇaparvatāt | upasaṃhṛtasarvāṃgaḥ kathaṃ vā vada me'calaḥ

Translation

Comment les tīrtha sacrés ont-ils jailli du bienheureux Mont Aruṇa ? Et comment l’Immuable (Acala) a-t-il retiré, rassemblant de nouveau tous ses membres ? Dis-le-moi.

Word by Word

• tīrthānām: of sacred fords/pilgrimage places
• tīrthānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• udbhavaḥ: origin, arising
• udbhavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udbhava (प्रातिपदिक; √bhū उद्भव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• puṇyāt: from merit / from the holy (cause)
• puṇyāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

• katham: how?
• katham: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• aruṇaparvatāt: from Arunaparvata (Arunachala)
• aruṇaparvatāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aruṇa + parvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अरुण-पर्वत इति तत्पुरुषसमासः (नामधेय)

• upasaṃhṛta: withdrawn, contracted
• upasaṃhṛta: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upasaṃhṛta (कृदन्त; √hṛ उपसंहृत)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); समासाङ्ग (पूर्वपद)

• sarva: all
• sarva: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; समासाङ्ग (पूर्वपद)

• aṅgaḥ: (he) whose limbs are all withdrawn
• aṅgaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; उपसंहृत-सर्व-अङ्ग इति तत्पुरुषसमासः; विशेषणम् (अचलः इति विशेष्य)

• katham: how?
• katham: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (particle: or/indeed)

• vada: tell (me)
• vada: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• me: to me / for me
• me: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (6th/4th), एकवचन; एन्क्लिटिक रूप (मे)

• acalaḥ: the immovable one; the mountain
• acalaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: acala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Pārvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aruṇācala tīrtha-maṇḍala (collective)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Gautama/Śiva-side narration context (as the discourse proceeds)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī gestures toward a map-like sacred landscape: the Arunāchala hill at center with radiating tīrthas (ponds/streams/ghats) emerging like lotus petals; a subtle image of Śiva ‘gathering’ luminous limbs into the mountain-form.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• Tīrthas
• Aruṇaparvata (Aruṇācala)
• Acala (Immovable One)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places and tīrthas are not accidental; they are manifestations of divine presence shaping geography for liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Aruṇaparvata/Aruṇācala, presented as the source of multiple tīrthas in its sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not explicitly; the verse sets up an explanation of tīrtha-origins and divine manifestation relevant for pilgrimage practice.