Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

पीडिताः स्मो रावणेन तपसा दुष्करेण वै । गोकर्णाख्ये गिरौ देवाः श्रूयतां परमाद्भुतम्

Transliteration

pīḍitāḥ smo rāvaṇena tapasā duṣkareṇa vai | gokarṇākhye girau devāḥ śrūyatāṃ paramādbhutam

Translation

«Nous sommes accablés par Rāvaṇa, par son austérité vraiment difficile. Ô dieux, sur la montagne nommée Gokarṇa—écoutez ce qui est merveille suprême.»

Word by Word

• pīḍitāḥ: afflicted, tormented
• pīḍitāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pīḍita (कृदन्त; √pīḍ पीड्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) — masculine nominative plural; past passive participle

• smaḥ: we
• smaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-बहुवचन, प्रथमा (1st case) सर्वनाम-रूप — 1st person plural pronoun (we)

• rāvaṇena: by Rāvaṇa
• rāvaṇena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāvaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन — masculine instrumental singular

• tapasā: by austerity, through penance
• tapasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन — neuter instrumental singular

• duṣkareṇa: difficult (to perform)
• duṣkareṇa: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; 'tapasā' इति विशेषण — neuter instrumental singular; adjective qualifying 'tapasā'

• vai: indeed, surely
• vai: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• gokarṇākhye: in (the place) called Gokarṇa
• gokarṇākhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gokarṇa + ākhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक विशेषण — neuter locative singular; tatpuruṣa: 'gokarṇa-ākhya' = named Gokarṇa

• girau: on the mountain
• girau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन — masculine locative singular

• devāḥ: the gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन — masculine nominative plural

• śrūyatām: let (it) be heard
• śrūyatām: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग — imperative 3rd person singular, passive: 'let it be heard'

• parama-adbhutam: the most wonderful (marvel)
• parama-adbhutam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama + adbhuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; कर्मधारय — neuter accusative singular; 'the supremely wonderful (thing)'

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating; quoted speech of the Devas (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gokarṇa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Other devas / divine assembly (and by extension the Purāṇic audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine assembly of devas, anxious and astonished, gestures toward Gokarṇa mountain as the setting for an extraordinary event involving Rāvaṇa’s tapas.

Characters & Entities

• Rāvaṇa
• Devas
• Gokarṇa (mountain)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even divine powers feel the pressure of misdirected tapas; therefore tapas must be yoked to dharma and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gokarṇa (named as a mountain) is referenced as the setting for a wondrous account, linking the narrative to sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it introduces a wondrous account connected to place.