Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । इत्युक्त्वा भ्रातरं ज्येष्ठं साष्टांगं प्रणिपत्य च । गत्वैव देव्याः शरणं भीमस्तुष्टाव मातरम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | ityuktvā bhrātaraṃ jyeṣṭhaṃ sāṣṭāṃgaṃ praṇipatya ca | gatvaiva devyāḥ śaraṇaṃ bhīmastuṣṭāva mātaram

Translation

Sūta dit : Ayant ainsi parlé, Bhīma se prosterna entièrement devant son frère aîné ; puis, allant aussitôt chercher refuge auprès de la Déesse, il loua la Mère.

Word by Word

• सूत: Sūta
• सूत: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; वक्ता-निर्देश

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

• इति: thus
• इति: Discourse marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण-समाप्ति सूचक (quotative particle)

• उक्त्वा: having spoken
• उक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); having said

• भ्रातरम्: (his) brother
• भ्रातरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ज्येष्ठम्: elder
• ज्येष्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्येष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; भ्रातरम् इत्यस्य विशेषण

• साष्टाङ्गम्: with eight limbs (prostration)
• साष्टाङ्गम्: Kriya-vishesana (Manner)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-अष्ट-अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक; स + अष्ट + अङ्ग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (as adverbial accusative)

• प्रणिपत्य: having prostrated
• प्रणिपत्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+नि+पत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

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

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis/only)

• देव्याः: of the Goddess
• देव्याः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• शरणम्: refuge
• शरणम्: Gati/Karma (Goal as object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; गमनस्य लक्ष्य

• भीमः: Bhīma
• भीमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तुष्टाव: praised
• तुष्टाव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तु (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; रूपम्: तुष्टाव (स्तु धातोः)

• मातरम्: the Mother (Goddess)
• मातरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied standard Sūta frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates: Bhīma bows fully to his elder brother, then departs swiftly to the Goddess’s refuge and begins praising her; a dynamic transition from court/family space to shrine space.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Bhīma
• Devī
• Mātṛ (Divine Mother)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humility and right conduct—honouring elders and seeking divine refuge—precedes effective prayer and protection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named site appears in this verse; it frames Bhīma’s approach to Devī within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sāṣṭāṅga-praṇipāta (full prostration) and stuti (hymn of praise) are explicitly mentioned.