Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अहं गणश्च कुत्रत्याः क्व चायं वृषभः प्रभो । एते चान्ये च बहवः कुतो जाताश्च कुत्र वै

Transliteration

ahaṃ gaṇaśca kutratyāḥ kva cāyaṃ vṛṣabhaḥ prabho | ete cānye ca bahavaḥ kuto jātāśca kutra vai

Translation

D’où venons-nous, moi et ces gaṇas—et d’où vient ce taureau, ô Seigneur ? Et ces nombreux autres encore : de quelle source sont-ils nés, et vers quelle fin vont-ils ?

Word by Word

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• gaṇaḥ: the gaṇa (attendant)
• gaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

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

• kutratyāḥ: from where (originating)
• kutratyāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kutra (अव्यय) + tya (तद्धित प्रत्यय) → kutratya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; तद्धितान्त विशेषण (‘from where/of what place’)

• kva: where?
• kva: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक अव्यय (interrogative adverb ‘where?’)

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

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक (‘this’)

• vṛṣabhaḥ: bull
• vṛṣabhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• prabho: O lord
• prabho: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; निर्देशवाचक (‘these’)

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

• anye: others
• anye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

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

• bahavaḥ: many
• bahavaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• kutaḥ: from where?
• kutaḥ: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kutaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक अव्यय (ablatival adverb ‘from where?’)

• jātāḥ: born
• jātāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jan (धातु) → jāta (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (‘born’)

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

• kutra: where?
• kutra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kutra (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक अव्यय (interrogative adverb ‘where?’)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (particle ‘indeed/for sure’)

Speaker

Gaṇeśa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaṇeśa (or a gaṇa leader) gestures toward Śiva’s bull and the assembled gaṇas, asking about their source. The scene is set against snowy peaks with a cosmic, starry overlay hinting at metaphysical scope.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇas
• Vṛṣabha (Nandin, implied)
• Śiva (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True inquiry asks about origin and destination; such questioning prepares the mind for liberating knowledge taught by Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra sacred region is the contextual frame; this verse is not a direct praise of a particular tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a metaphysical inquiry.