Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

आपः पुनंतु सर्वेषां चराचरनिवासिनाम् । तदा स्त्रियः समाहूय बृहस्पतिरुवाच ह

Transliteration

āpaḥ punaṃtu sarveṣāṃ carācaranivāsinām | tadā striyaḥ samāhūya bṛhaspatiruvāca ha

Translation

“Que les Eaux purifient tous les êtres, ceux qui se meuvent et ceux qui sont immobiles.” Puis, ayant convoqué les femmes, Bṛhaspati parla.

Word by Word

• āpaḥ: the waters
• āpaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ap (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; ‘waters’

• punaṃtu: let (them) purify
• punaṃtu: Kriyā (Injunctive action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘let them purify’

• sarveṣām: of all
• sarveṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक (सामान्य), षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; ‘of all’

• carācara-nivāsinām: of those dwelling among the moving and the unmoving
• carācara-nivāsinām: Sambandha (Genitive specification/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cara + acara + nivāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व (cara+acara) पूर्वपद + तत्पुरुष: ‘carācarāṇāṃ nivāsinām’ = ‘of the dwellers among moving and unmoving beings’

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक/adverb of time): ‘then’

• striyaḥ: women
• striyaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन; ‘women’

• samāhūya: having summoned
• samāhūya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ā-√hū (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund): ‘having summoned’

• bṛhaspatiḥ: Bṛhaspati
• bṛhaspatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bṛhaspati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; ‘said’

• ha: indeed (narrative particle)
• ha: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (वृत्तान्तसूचक particle): narrative emphasis

Speaker

Bṛhaspati

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A benedictory utterance: ‘May the Waters purify all beings, moving and unmoving.’ Immediately after, Bṛhaspati summons women, indicating the next phase of the expiation narrative; the scene blends cosmic blessing with a transition to human/social agents.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhaspati
• Āpaḥ (Waters)
• Striyaḥ (Women)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred waters are envisioned as universal purifiers, extending grace to all of creation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra-kṣetra’s broader tīrtha ethos is implied—purification through sanctified waters associated with the holy region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, purification through water (snāna/ācamana) is affirmed, though no detailed procedure is given.