Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 159

Devanagari script

अदित्याः कश्यपेनैव उपनीतस्तदा प्रभुः । उपनीतेऽथ संप्राप्तो ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः

Transliteration

adityāḥ kaśyapenaiva upanītastadā prabhuḥ | upanīte'tha saṃprāpto brahmā lokapitāmahaḥ

Translation

Alors, pour Aditi, Kaśyapa lui-même conféra au Seigneur l’upanayana, le rite du cordon sacré. Et lorsque l’upanayana fut accompli, Brahmā—le Pitāmaha, aïeul des mondes—arriva en ce lieu.

Word by Word

• adityāḥ: of Aditi
• adityāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aditi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• kaśyapena: by Kaśyapa
• kaśyapena: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaśyapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• eva: indeed, only
• eva: Discourse particle (Nipāta/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• upanītaḥ: was initiated (invested)
• upanītaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa-√nī (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त, क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Temporal marker (Kāla/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• prabhuḥ: the Lord
• prabhuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• upanīte: when (he) had been initiated
• upanīte: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√nī (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त, क्त (PPP) सप्तमी-एकवचन नपुंसक; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute): ‘upanīte (sati)’

• atha: then
• atha: Discourse connector (Avyaya/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय (then/thereupon)

• saṃprāptaḥ: arrived
• saṃprāptaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-pra-√āp (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त, क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• loka-pitāmahaḥ: the grandsire of the worlds
• loka-pitāmahaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka-pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक; loka + pitāmaha)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘लोकानां पितामहः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (contextual frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kaśyapa performs upanayana for the divine baṭu: kuśa grass, sacred fire, yajñopavīta placement; Aditi watches with maternal devotion; at the rite’s completion, Brahmā arrives, four-faced, with lotus and Vedic aura.

Characters & Entities

• Aditi
• Kaśyapa
• Brahmā
• Vāmana (implied as the Lord)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the Supreme appears to honor dharma by accepting Vedic rites, showing that sacred discipline supports divine purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Kedāra-khaṇḍa (Kedārakṣetra’s sacred geography), though this verse focuses on the Vāmana narrative rather than a local tīrtha act.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Upanayana (sacred investiture), indicating formal entry into Vedic discipline.