Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

द्विभुजं चैकवक्त्रं कृत्तिवाससमद्भुतम् । कपर्दं चंद्ररेखांकं निवीतं गजचर्मणा

Transliteration

dvibhujaṃ caikavaktraṃ kṛttivāsasamadbhutam | kapardaṃ caṃdrarekhāṃkaṃ nivītaṃ gajacarmaṇā

Translation

Il était merveilleux : deux bras et un seul visage, vêtu d’un habit de peau ; les cheveux en nattes emmêlées, marqués de la ligne du croissant de lune, et ceint d’une peau d’éléphant.

Word by Word

• dvi-bhujam: two-armed
• dvi-bhujam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi (प्रातिपदिक) + bhuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (accusative singular neuter adjective)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• eka-vaktram: single-faced
• eka-vaktram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (accusative singular neuter adjective)

• kṛtti-vāsasam: a garment of hide
• kṛtti-vāsasam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛtti (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (kṛttyāḥ vāsasam) (accusative singular neuter)

• adbhutam: wonderful
• adbhutam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adbhuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (accusative singular neuter adjective)

• kapardam: with matted hair/topknot
• kapardam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaparda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (accusative singular neuter adjective)

• caṃdra-rekhā-aṅkam: marked with the crescent-moon line
• caṃdra-rekhā-aṅkam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caṃdra (प्रातिपदिक) + rekhā (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (caṃdrasya rekhāyāḥ aṅkam) (accusative singular neuter adjective)

• nivītam: clad/covered
• nivītam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ni-√vī (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (past participle: 'clad/covered')

• gaja-carmaṇā: with an elephant-hide
• gaja-carmaṇā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaja (प्रातिपदिक) + carman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (gajasya carmaṇā) (instrumental singular)

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa by section convention)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A frontal epiphany of Śiva: two-armed, one-faced, clad in a skin garment, matted locks crowned with a crescent line, and an elephant-hide girdle—set against a stark Himalayan sacred landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Crescent moon (Candra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse celebrates Śiva’s ascetic, awe-inspiring form—supporting devotion through vivid darśana and iconographic remembrance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The depiction occurs within Kedārakhaṇḍa, reinforcing Kedāra’s identity as a place of Śiva’s living presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a descriptive darśana passage useful for dhyāna and devotional visualization.