Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 114

Devanagari script

अर्जुन उवाच । कस्मात्स्वाहा करोद्रूपं षण्णां तासां महामुने

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca | kasmātsvāhā karodrūpaṃ ṣaṇṇāṃ tāsāṃ mahāmune

Translation

Arjuna dit : «Ô grand sage, pour quelle raison Svāhā prit-elle les formes de ces six (épouses) ?»

Word by Word

• अर्जुनः: Arjuna
• अर्जुनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• कस्मात्: from what cause? why?
• कस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (प्रयोगानुसार), पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• स्वाहा: Svāhā
• स्वाहा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वाहा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• करोत्: made/assumed
• करोत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• रूपम्: form
• रूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• षण्णाम्: of six
• षण्णाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• तासाम्: of those (women)
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• महामुने: O great sage
• महामुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामुनि (प्रातिपदिक: महा + मुनि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Arjuna

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Arjuna, attentive and reverent, questions Nārada about why Svāhā assumed the forms of six divine wives; a forest-āśrama or pilgrimage halt setting, with the suggestion of impending revelation.

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Svāhā
• Six women (ṣaṇṇām)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Scriptural dialogue models dharmic inquiry—asking the cause (kāraṇa) behind extraordinary events to understand their moral and cosmic meaning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned in this question-verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a doctrinal question initiating explanation.