Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

पलायमानं तं दृष्ट्वा वीरभद्रः समाह्वयत्

Transliteration

palāyamānaṃ taṃ dṛṣṭvā vīrabhadraḥ samāhvayat

Translation

Le voyant s’enfuir, Vīrabhadra l’interpella.

Word by Word

• पलायमानम्: fleeing
• पलायमानम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पलाय (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘तम्’)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया (having seen)

• वीरभद्रः: Vīrabhadra
• वीरभद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीरभद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• समाह्वयत्: called out to
• समाह्वयत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + ह्वे (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (परस्मैपद, imperfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vīrabhadra, towering and radiant, extends a commanding hand and calls to the fleeing thief; gaṇas form a semicircle, blocking escape without striking.

Characters & Entities

• Vīrabhadra
• thief (taskara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine discipline can arrive as a compassionate interruption—stopping flight and opening a path to transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra-khaṇḍa’s liṅga-focused sacred region (Kedāra/Kedārnātha) is the contextual tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.