Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

रुद्रक्षेत्रे च केदारे तथा बदरिकाश्रमे । काश्यां पुण्येषु देशेषु तथा श्रीपर्वते शिवे

Transliteration

rudrakṣetre ca kedāre tathā badarikāśrame | kāśyāṃ puṇyeṣu deśeṣu tathā śrīparvate śive

Translation

À Rudrakṣetra, à Kedāra, et de même à l’ermitage de Badarī ; à Kāśī et dans d’autres contrées saintes ; et aussi sur l’auspicieux Śrīparvata, consacré à Śiva—

Word by Word

• रुद्रक्षेत्रे: in Rudra’s sacred field (Rudra-kṣetra)
• रुद्रक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र-क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक; रुद्र + क्षेत्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• केदारे: in Kedāra
• केदारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केदार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/समुच्चयवाचक अव्यय (adverb: likewise/also)

• बदरिकाश्रमे: in the Badarikā hermitage
• बदरिकाश्रमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बदरिक-आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक; बदरिक + आश्रम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• काश्यां: in Kāśī
• काश्यां: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• पुण्येषु: in holy
• पुण्येषु: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying देशेषु)

• देशेषु: in places/regions
• देशेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; अधिकरण

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयवाचक अव्यय (adverb: likewise)

• श्रीपर्वते: on Śrīparvata (the auspicious mountain)
• श्रीपर्वते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री-पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक; श्री + पर्वत)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• शिवे: sacred to Śiva / Śiva’s
• शिवे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying श्रीपर्वते)

Speaker

Gautama (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rudrakṣetra / Kedāra / Badarikāśrama / Kāśī / Śrīparvata

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A ‘mahābhāga’ interlocutor (devotee/ṛṣi) addressed in subsequent verses

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-sage narrates a sweeping itinerary: snowy Kedāra and Badarī, the luminous ghāṭs of Kāśī, and a Śiva-crowned sacred mountain (Śrīparvata), presented like a garland of holy sites.

Characters & Entities

• Rudrakṣetra
• Kedāra
• Badarikāśrama
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Śrīparvata
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa maps devotion onto geography: visiting famed tīrthas associated with Śiva cultivates merit and deepens remembrance of the deity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Multiple tīrthas are invoked—Rudrakṣetra, Kedāra, Badarikāśrama, Kāśī, and Śrīparvata—forming a canonical pilgrimage network.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage/visitation is implied (tīrtha-sevā and darśana), though no specific bathing or donation rite is stated in this verse.