Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

क्षीराब्धेर्मथनं तत्तु अमृतार्थं कथं कृतम् । मृत्युं जयं निराकृत्य अवज्ञाय च मां सदा

Transliteration

kṣīrābdhermathanaṃ tattu amṛtārthaṃ kathaṃ kṛtam | mṛtyuṃ jayaṃ nirākṛtya avajñāya ca māṃ sadā

Translation

Comment ce barattage de l’Océan de Lait fut-il accompli pour l’ambroisie, après avoir rejeté le Vainqueur de la Mort et m’avoir sans cesse méprisé ?

Word by Word

• क्षीराब्धेः: of the ocean of milk
• क्षीराब्धेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर (प्रातिपदिक) + अब्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्षीरस्य अब्धिः)

• मथनम्: churning
• मथनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मथन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Anaphoric object (तत् = that act)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• अमृतार्थम्: for the sake of nectar
• अमृतार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुषः (अमृताय अर्थः) = प्रयोजनार्थक

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Manner (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नाव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• कृतम्: was done
• कृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्/लुङ्-सम्भाव्य प्रयोगे कृदन्तवत्; कर्मणि प्रयोगः—कृ (कृञ्), क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; वाक्ये क्रियापदवत्

• मृत्युम्: death
• मृत्युम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• जयम्: victory
• जयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• निराकृत्य: having rejected/repelled
• निराकृत्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर् + आ + कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• अवज्ञाय: having disrespected
• अवज्ञाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); ‘अवज्ञा’ = तिरस्कारार्थ

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

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Time adjunct (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

Speaker

Śiva (Sāmbā), admonishing; narrated by Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devatā-gaṇa (Indra and others)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine speaker recalls the churning of the Milk Ocean, questioning the gods’ neglect of the Death-Conqueror; the ocean and Mandara imagery appears as a remembered tableau behind the admonition.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Mṛtyuñjaya)
• Kṣīrābdhi (Ocean of Milk)
• Amṛta (nectar)
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Great achievements (like obtaining amṛta) require honoring the divine source; disregard of Śiva (Mṛtyuñjaya) is portrayed as spiritual error.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra is the contextual scripture-location; the verse links Kedāra’s Śaiva teaching to broader Purāṇic history (Samudra Manthana).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the implied prescription is proper reverence and worship (ādarapūrvaka stuti/namaskāra) to Śiva.