Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

एकपद्येन ते सर्वे सहिताः शंकरेण तु । द्रष्टुं गांगेयमधिकं जग्मुः पुलिनसंस्थितम्

Transliteration

ekapadyena te sarve sahitāḥ śaṃkareṇa tu | draṣṭuṃ gāṃgeyamadhikaṃ jagmuḥ pulinasaṃsthitam

Translation

D’un seul pas, tous—accompagnés de Śaṅkara—allèrent contempler l’auguste fils de la Gaṅgā, demeurant sur la berge du fleuve.

Word by Word

• एकपद्येन: in a single stride
• एकपद्येन: करण (instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + पद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (एकं पद्यं यस्य/एकपद्येन = 'in one step/stride')

• ते: they
• ते: कर्ता
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: विशेषण (कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• सहिताः: together, accompanied
• सहिताः: विशेषण (कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सह (अव्यय) + इत (इ धातु, क्त; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (with 'saha' sense: 'accompanied/together')

• शंकरेण: with Śaṅkara
• शंकरेण: सहकारक/सहयोग (accompaniment)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: सम्बन्ध (discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (particle: 'indeed/but')

• द्रष्टुम्: to see
• द्रष्टुम्: प्रयोजन (purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृदन्त)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive); क्रियार्थक (purpose)

• गांगेयम्: Gāṅgeya (son of Gaṅgā; Bhīṣma)
• गांगेयम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाङ्गेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेष्य (object)

• अधिकम्: especially
• अधिकम्: विशेषण (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (intensifier: 'especially/more')

• जग्मुः: went
• जग्मुः: क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• पुलिनसंस्थितम्: situated on the riverbank
• पुलिनसंस्थितम्: विशेषण (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुलिन + संस्थित (स्था धातु, सम्-उपसर्ग, क्त; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (पुलिने संस्थितम्)

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-pulina (riverbank darśana-sthala)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śaṅkara leads a multi-species divine host in a miraculous single stride toward a luminous riverbank where the ‘Gaṅgeya’ stands—radiant, honored, and central—while the Gaṅgā glitters behind like a silver ribbon.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Gāṅgeya (Skanda/Kārttikeya)
• Gaṅgā (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana (beholding the divine) is central; the verse highlights swift divine movement and the primacy of seeing the Lord’s manifestation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā’s pulina (sandbank/riverbank) is directly mentioned as the sacred spot where the deity is beheld.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the act emphasized is darśana at the sacred riverbank.