Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

उपविश्य तदा तस्यां शिवबिकायां समाहितः । सर्पसर्पेति वचनान्नोदयामास तौ तदा

Transliteration

upaviśya tadā tasyāṃ śivabikāyāṃ samāhitaḥ | sarpasarpeti vacanānnodayāmāsa tau tadā

Translation

Puis, assis dans ce palanquin, l’esprit recueilli, il commanda aux deux en disant : «Avancez, avancez !», les pressant d’aller de l’avant.

Word by Word

• उपविश्य: having sat down
• उपविश्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-विश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), उपसर्गः उप-, धातुः विश्, अर्थः ‘उपवेशनं कृत्वा’

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• तस्याम्: in that (place/thing)
• तस्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• शिवबिकायाम्: in the palanquin
• शिवबिकायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिवबिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्

• समाहितः: composed, concentrated
• समाहितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-धा (धातु) → समाहित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (PPP/क्त), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्; ‘समाधत्तः/एकाग्रः’

• सर्पसर्प: “snake, snake!”
• सर्पसर्प: Sambodhana/Ukta-vākya (Address/quoted utterance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक) + सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समासः (itaretara-dvandva), अव्ययवत्-उक्तिः (as a quoted call); प्रथमा-एकवचनवत् (as vocative-like utterance)

• इति: thus
• इति: Vākya-paryavasāna (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• वचनात्: from the words/utterance
• वचनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (Ablative/5th), एकवचनम्

• नोदयामास: urged, prompted
• नोदयामास: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नुद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्ष), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; causative sense in usage ‘प्रेरयामास/उद्यमयामास’

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), द्विवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king seated in a decorated palanquin (śiva-bikā/śibikā), gesturing sharply as two bearers—revealed as venerable figures—strain under the load; the Himalayan path and Kedāra ambience foreshadow impending curse.

Characters & Entities

• Nahūṣa
• Two Dvijas (including Agastya in the next verse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Harsh command and pride toward the venerable becomes the immediate cause of karmic reversal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in this verse; it is part of the Kedārakhaṇḍa storyline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.