Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 101

Devanagari script

मैंदादयोऽथ कपयस्ते सर्वे सुरसत्तमाः । एवं सर्वे सुरगणा अवतेरुर्यथा तथम्

Transliteration

maiṃdādayo'tha kapayaste sarve surasattamāḥ | evaṃ sarve suragaṇā avateruryathā tatham

Translation

Demikian pula Mainda dan para kera lainnya—semuanya yang terbaik di antara para dewa—turun sebagaimana mestinya; begitulah seluruh golongan makhluk ilahi menjelma, masing-masing menurut takdirnya.

Word by Word

• मैन्दादयः: Mainda and others
• मैन्दादयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mainda (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (मैन्दः आदिः येषाम्) — ‘Mainda and others’

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अनन्तर/क्रमबोधक) — ‘then/now’

• कपयः: monkeys
• कपयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (apposition to मैन्दादयः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — masculine nominative plural

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — demonstrative pronoun ‘they/those’

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — adjective ‘all’

• सुरसत्तमाः: best of the gods
• सुरसत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सुराणां सत्तमाः) — ‘best among gods’

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकारवाचक) — ‘thus/in this manner’

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — adjective qualifying सुरगणाः

• सुरगणाः: hosts of gods
• सुरगणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सुराणां गणाः) — nominative plural

• अवतेरुः: descended
• अवतेरुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava√tṝ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपदम् — ‘they descended’

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/प्रकार) — ‘as/just as’

• तथम्: so, accordingly
• तथम्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तथैव/एवमेव) — ‘so/in that way’

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A multitude of vānaras—Mainda and others—depicted with divine halos, descending from celestial realms into a terrestrial landscape, suggesting coordinated incarnation.

Characters & Entities

• Mainda
• Sura-gaṇa (hosts of gods)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

For the restoration of Dharma, divine powers take suitable forms and cooperate in the world.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra Khaṇḍa milieu (Himalayan sacred geography) is the backdrop, though no single tirtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.