Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

त्वं हि मूढत्वमापन्नो न जानासि हि किंचन । वाच्यावाच्यं महेशस्य विषया हि बहिर्मुखाः

Transliteration

tvaṃ hi mūḍhatvamāpanno na jānāsi hi kiṃcana | vācyāvācyaṃ maheśasya viṣayā hi bahirmukhāḥ

Translation

Tu es tombé dans l’égarement et tu ne sais rien. Car ce qu’il est permis—ou non—de dire de Maheśa dépasse en vérité la portée des objets des sens tournés vers l’extérieur.

Word by Word

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• मूढत्वम्: foolishness
• मूढत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūḍhatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• आपन्नः: having fallen into/attained
• आपन्नः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√pad (धातु) + apanna (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• जानासि: you know
• जानासि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• किञ्चन: anything
• किञ्चन: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kiṃcana (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• वाच्यावाच्यम्: what is to be said and not to be said
• वाच्यावाच्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vācya + avācya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc. 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• महेशस्य: of Maheśa (Śiva)
• महेशस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• विषयाः: topics/objects (of discussion)
• विषयाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• बहिर्मुखाः: outward-facing/external
• बहिर्मुखाः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahirmukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Nārada (within Sūta’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Parvata (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher figure admonishes a questioning mountain-persona: ‘you are deluded’; behind them, Kedāra’s shrine and a subtle aura indicate Maheśa beyond words; senses depicted as turning outward, contrasted with a meditative sage turned inward.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśa (Śiva)
• Parvata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Understanding Śiva requires inwardness; outward, sense-based approaches cannot grasp what is ultimately beyond speech and conception.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedārakhaṇḍa provides the sacred frame, but the verse emphasizes inner discipline rather than a location’s merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the implied discipline is turning inward from sense-objects to comprehend the divine.