Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

बकभूपद्विजोलूकगृध्रकूर्मा विलोक्य च । नेमुः कलापग्रामे तं चिरंतनतपोनिधिम्

Transliteration

bakabhūpadvijolūkagṛdhrakūrmā vilokya ca | nemuḥ kalāpagrāme taṃ ciraṃtanataponidhim

Translation

En le voyant, la grue, le roi des bêtes, l’oiseau, le hibou, le vautour et la tortue se prosternèrent devant cet antique trésor d’austérités, au village de Kalāpa.

Word by Word

• बकभूपद्विजोलूकगृध्रकूर्माः: cranes, kings, birds, owls, vultures, and tortoises
• बकभूपद्विजोलूकगृध्रकूर्माः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बक-भूप-द्विज-उलूक-गृध्र-कूर्म (प्रातिपदिक; list-compound)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); समाहार/इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (copulative enumeration)

• विलोक्य: having seen
• विलोक्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि-लोक् (धातु) + ल्यप् (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया (having seen)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• नेमुः: bowed down
• नेमुः: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• कलापग्रामे: in Kalāpa village
• कलापग्रामे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलाप-ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक; कलाप + ग्राम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• चिरंतनतपोनिधिम्: the ancient treasure of austerity
• चिरंतनतपोनिधिम्: Karma (Object; epithet)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिरंतन-तपस्-निधि (प्रातिपदिक; चिरंतन + तपस् + निधि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणात्मक-समास (treasury of ancient austerity)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Māheśvara-khaṇḍa discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kalāpa-grāma

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of creatures—crane, lion/king of beasts, birds, owl, vulture, and tortoise—bowing toward an ancient ascetic in Kalāpa village, signaling universal recognition of holiness.

Characters & Entities

• Kūrma
• Kalāpa-grāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Great tapas and holiness command reverence even from non-human beings, showing the universal recognition of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kalāpa-grāma (Kalāpa village) is the named locale where the revered ascetic is honored.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the act described is namaskāra (bowing) to a great tapasvin.