Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

एकदा पूजमानं तं शंकरं परमार्थदम् । यमो हि प्रेषयामास यमदूतान्नृपं प्रति

Transliteration

ekadā pūjamānaṃ taṃ śaṃkaraṃ paramārthadam | yamo hi preṣayāmāsa yamadūtānnṛpaṃ prati

Translation

Un jour, tandis qu’il adorait Śaṅkara—dispensateur de la vérité suprême—Yama envoya ses messagers vers le roi.

Word by Word

• ekadā: once
• ekadā: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ekadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (once)

• pūjamānam: worshipping
• pūjamānam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु) + śānac (शानच्)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्), परस्मैपद-कर्तरि; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण (तम् इति विशेष्य)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• śaṃkaram: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṃkaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेष्य (देवता-नाम)

• paramārtha-dam: giver of the highest good
• paramārtha-dam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक) + da (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-आधार)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (परमं अर्थं ददाति इति)

• yamaḥ: Yama
• yamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

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

• preṣayāmāsa: sent/dispatched
• preṣayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-iṣ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; causative sense not intended here (simple perfect of प्रेषयति)

• yama-dūtān: Yama's messengers
• yama-dūtān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक) + dūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यमस्य दूताः)

• nṛpam: the king
• nṛpam: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• prati: towards/against
• prati: Sambandha (Direction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश-अव्यय/कर्मप्रवचनीय (preposition)

Speaker

Lomaśa (narration continues)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied continuing audience (Viprāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a Śiva temple: the king absorbed in pūjā before the liṅga; in the shadows, Yama’s emissaries appear, creating a stark contrast between devotion and impending seizure.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Yama
• Yamadūtas
• Śveta (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The moment of death is framed as a spiritual test; worship of Śaṅkara is presented as connection to the highest good even then.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Kedāra-khaṇḍa context glorifies Kedārakṣetra and Śiva’s domain; this verse focuses on the narrative event involving Yama.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva-pūjā is the explicit practice shown; no additional rite is specified in this verse.