Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

एवमुक्तस्तदा राहुः प्रणम्य शिरसा शिवम् । मौलौ स्थितस्तदा चंद्रो अमृतं व्यसृजद्भयात्

Transliteration

evamuktastadā rāhuḥ praṇamya śirasā śivam | maulau sthitastadā caṃdro amṛtaṃ vyasṛjadbhayāt

Translation

Ainsi admonesté, Rāhu s’inclina et se prosterna, la tête aux pieds de Śiva. Alors la Lune, demeurant sur la couronne de Śiva, laissa couler, par crainte, l’amṛta, le nectar d’immortalité.

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — adverb ‘thus’

• uktaḥ: (having been) addressed/said
• uktaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of rāhuḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vac (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — past passive participle ‘having been said/addressed’

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — temporal adverb ‘then’

• rāhuḥ: Rāhu
• rāhuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — nominative singular

• praṇamya: having bowed
• praṇamya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra-√nam (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having bowed’

• śirasā: with (his) head
• śirasā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — instrumental singular

• śivam: Śiva
• śivam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — accusative singular

• maulau: on (his) crown/topknot
• maulau: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mauli (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — locative singular

• sthitaḥ: standing/placed
• sthitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of caṃdraḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √sthā (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘standing/placed’

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — ‘then’

• caṃdraḥ: the Moon
• caṃdraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — nominative singular

• amṛtam: nectar
• amṛtam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — accusative singular

• vyasṛjat: released/let out
• vyasṛjat: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√sṛj (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमा-पुरुष, एकवचन — imperfect, 3rd sg ‘released’

• bhayāt: from fear
• bhayāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन — ablative singular

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa Sūta (deduced: narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (ṛṣi/śaunaka-type setting implied by Purāṇic frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāhu bows with head lowered before Śiva; above Śiva’s brow the Moon rests on His crown, trembling, letting fall drops/stream of amṛta in fear; a dark eclipse-serpent presence contrasts with Śiva’s calm radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Rāhu
• Śiva
• Candra (Moon)
• Amṛta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Submission to Śiva restores order: even powerful cosmic beings yield when Śiva’s authority is acknowledged.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra sacred landscape is the textual frame; the verse highlights Śiva’s cūḍā (crown) symbolism that undergirds Kedāra’s Śaiva greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is mentioned.