Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

जलं किं नु स्थलं तत्र न विदुस्तत्त्वतो जनाः । क्वचित्सिंहाः क्वचिद्धंसाः सारसाश्च महाप्रभाः

Transliteration

jalaṃ kiṃ nu sthalaṃ tatra na vidustattvato janāḥ | kvacitsiṃhāḥ kvaciddhaṃsāḥ sārasāśca mahāprabhāḥ

Translation

Les gens de là ne pouvaient discerner en vérité si c’était de l’eau ou de la terre. En certains lieux se tenaient des lions; en d’autres, des cygnes; et ailleurs, de resplendissants sārasas (grues).

Word by Word

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — N/Acc sg (water)

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — interrogative pronoun ‘what?’

• नु: indeed?/pray
• नु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नु (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक/अनुनासिक अव्यय — interrogative particle

• स्थलम्: land
• स्थलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — N/Acc sg (dry land)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय — ‘there’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय — negation

• विदुः: (they) know
• विदुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — ‘they know’ (perfect with present sense)

• तत्त्वतः: truly/in essence
• तत्त्वतः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित/अव्ययीभाव-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त) — adverb ‘in truth/essentially’

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता/1st), बहुवचन — Nominative plural

• क्वचित्: somewhere
• क्वचित्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक अव्यय — ‘somewhere/sometimes’

• सिंहाः: lions
• सिंहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Nominative plural

• क्वचित्: elsewhere
• क्वचित्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — ‘elsewhere’

• हंसाः: swans
• हंसाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हंस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Nominative plural

• सारसाः: cranes (sārasas)
• सारसाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Nominative plural

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय — ‘and’

• महाप्रभाः: very splendid
• महाप्रभाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महā (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — adjective qualifying ‘सारसाः’ etc.; ‘greatly splendid’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedārakṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A misty expanse where water and land are indistinguishable; lions stand on a seeming shoreline while swans and sārasas glide nearby, all under an otherworldly radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Haṃsa
• Sārasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha’s mystery confounds ordinary judgement, urging seekers to approach sacred space with awe rather than mere analysis.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedārakṣetra within the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa’s Kedārakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive, supporting the place’s mahātmya through wonder.