Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

केयं कस्य कुतो याता किमर्थं तप्यते तपः । सर्वं मे कथ्यतां सख्यो याथा तथ्येन संप्रति

Transliteration

keyaṃ kasya kuto yātā kimarthaṃ tapyate tapaḥ | sarvaṃ me kathyatāṃ sakhyo yāthā tathyena saṃprati

Translation

«Qui est-elle ? À qui appartient-elle ? D’où est-elle venue ? Pour quelle raison accomplit-elle l’austérité ? Dites-moi tout, ô amies, en toute vérité, ici et maintenant.»

Word by Word

• का: who (is she)
• का: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• इयम्: this (woman)
• इयम्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक

• कस्य: of whom
• कस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• कुतः: from where
• कुतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kutas (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादानवाचक-अव्यय (ablative adverb: from where)

• याता: has come/gone
• याता: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; गतार्थे (gone/come)

• किमर्थम्: for what reason
• किमर्थम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (why)

• तप्यते: is practiced/is being done
• तप्यते: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे (is being performed/undergoes austerity)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तृ/कर्मभावे (austerity)

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative singular)

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन (enclitic: my/to me); अत्र चतुर्थी-अर्थे (to me)

• कथ्यताम्: let (it) be told
• कथ्यताम्: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि (let it be told)

• सख्यः: O friends
• सख्यः: Sambodhana (Addressed/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sakhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (vocative plural)

• यथा: so that/as
• यथा: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (in such a way that)

• तथ्येन: truthfully
• तथ्येन: Karana (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tathya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; साधन/प्रकार (with truthfully)

• सम्प्रति: now
• सम्प्रति: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samprati (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: now/at present)

Speaker

Śiva (as a brahmacārin/baṭu)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedārakṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Inquirer(s) within the Kedāra māhātmya discourse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The youthful ascetic presses the companions to speak truthfully about the woman’s identity and the purpose of her austerity; the scene is a calm but charged inquiry circle.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Brahmacārin
• Sakhīs (companions)
• Pārvatī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual discipline should be grounded in clear intent and truth; inquiry serves to reveal the sincerity behind tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedārakhaṇḍa’s Himalayan sacred setting, linked to Kedāranātha and the Śaiva tīrtha landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the focus is on understanding the purpose (kim-artham) behind austerity.