Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

लोमश उवाच । यदा दारुवने शंभुर्भिक्षार्थं प्राचरत्प्रभुः

Transliteration

lomaśa uvāca | yadā dāruvane śaṃbhurbhikṣārthaṃ prācaratprabhuḥ

Translation

લોમશે કહ્યું: જ્યારે દારુવનમાં પ્રભુ શંભુ ભિક્ષાર્થે વિહાર કરવા લાગ્યા—

Word by Word

• लोमशः: Lomaśa
• लोमशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोमश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal conjunction/adverb: when)

• दारुवने: in the Daru forest
• दारुवने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दारु-वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—दारुणां वनम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• शम्भुः: Śambhu (Śiva)
• शम्भुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शम्भु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भिक्षार्थम्: for alms
• भिक्षार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भिक्षा-अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत् (for the sake of alms)

• प्राचरत्: wandered / moved about
• प्राचरत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√चर् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• प्रभुः: the Lord
• प्रभुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण-नाम (epithet)

Speaker

Lomaśa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dāruvana (mythic forest)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Lomaśa begins the tale: Śambhu, as a wandering mendicant, enters the Dāru forest; the scene is poised at the moment of entry, charged with impending revelation.

Characters & Entities

• Lomaśa
• Śiva (Śambhu)
• Dāruvana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It introduces the sacred origin-story: Śiva’s divine play as a mendicant becomes the backdrop for explaining liṅga tradition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate locale is Dāruvana (Dāru forest), a mythic setting used to ground Śaiva practice in sacred history.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription yet; it begins the narrative leading to the rationale for liṅga worship/installation.