Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

एवमागच्छतस्तस्य गतं मासचतुष्टयम् । अपश्यतो महादेवं दिदृक्षागतचेतसः

Transliteration

evamāgacchatastasya gataṃ māsacatuṣṭayam | apaśyato mahādevaṃ didṛkṣāgatacetasaḥ

Translation

Ainsi, persévérant de la sorte, quatre mois s’écoulèrent—sans qu’il eût encore contemplé Mahādeva, tandis que son esprit demeurait tendu vers le désir de Le voir.

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकारवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण) — 'thus/in this manner'

• āgacchataḥ: of him who was coming
• āgacchataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√gam (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (परस्मैपदी), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन — 'of (him) who was coming/returning'

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन — 'of him'

• gatam: elapsed
• gatam: Kriya (Predicate participle)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (भूतकर्मणि), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'passed/elapsed' (agreeing with māsacatuṣṭayam)

• māsa-catuṣṭayam: a period of four months
• māsa-catuṣṭayam: Karta (Subject of 'elapsed'/कर्तृस्थानी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa-catuṣṭaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी/समाहार): मासानां चतुष्टयम् = 'a set of four months'

• apaśyataḥ: of him who did not see
• apaśyataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-√paś (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — 'of (him) not seeing'

• mahādevam: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• mahādevam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय: महान् देवः = 'Mahādeva (Śiva)'

• didṛkṣā-āgata-cetasaḥ: whose mind was intent on seeing (eager to see)
• didṛkṣā-āgata-cetasaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: didṛkṣā-āgata-cetas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष: दिदृक्षा (द्रष्टुम् इच्छा) + आगत + चेतस् = 'whose mind had come to (the desire) to see' अर्थात् 'eager to see'

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage-like sense of time: the devotee repeatedly approaches the sacred place over four months, yet Mahādeva remains unseen; the pilgrim’s gaze stays fixed with longing.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva
• Cāturmāsya (implied four months)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True pilgrimage-bhakti endures time and delay; longing for darśana itself becomes a purifying discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Himalayan tīrtha context within Nāgarakhaṇḍa 122, where Mahādeva’s darśana is sought.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the verse highlights a four-month devotional waiting/observance (cāturmāsya timeframe).