Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

तव भावपरीक्षार्थं द्विजो भूत्वाहमागतः । व्याघ्रेण या परिग्रस्ता सैषा दैवी गिरींद्रजा

Transliteration

tava bhāvaparīkṣārthaṃ dvijo bhūtvāhamāgataḥ | vyāghreṇa yā parigrastā saiṣā daivī girīṃdrajā

Translation

汝の内なる志の真実を試すため、我は婆羅門の姿となってここに来た。虎に捕らえられたかに見えた「山の主の娘たる王女」は、まことに神なる顕現であった。

Word by Word

• तव: of you/your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• भाव: state/intent/disposition
• भाव: Sambandha (Qualifier within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन (Nom./Acc. Singular; in compound)

• परीक्षा: testing/examination
• परीक्षा: Sambandha (Qualifier within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परीक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन (Nom./Acc. Singular; in compound)

• अर्थम्: for the purpose
• अर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन; with -artham)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• द्विजः: a brahmin (lit. twice-born)
• द्विजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having become’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• आगतः: (have) come
• आगतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘I have come’

• व्याघ्रेण: by a tiger
• व्याघ्रेण: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• या: who/which (she)
• या: Karta (Subject of relative clause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (Relative pronoun)

• परिग्रस्ता: seized/grabbed
• परिग्रस्ता: Karma (Patient/कर्म; described)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-ग्रस् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन

• सा: she/that (woman)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Demonstrative pronoun)

• एषा: this (one)
• एषा: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Demonstrative pronoun)

• दैवी: divine
• दैवी: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दैवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine Nom. Sing.)

• गिरीन्द्रजा: daughter of the lord of mountains (Pārvatī)
• गिरीन्द्रजा: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरीन्द्र + जा (प्रातिपदिक; ‘mountain-lord’ + ‘born’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (giri-indrasya jā)

Speaker

Śiva (revealing himself after the test)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene yet tense forest-court setting: a brāhmaṇa-disguised deity reveals he came to test the king’s inner intent; beside them stands a radiant mountain-born princess, previously appearing as prey to a tiger, now shown as a divine manifestation.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• dvija (brāhmaṇa disguise)
• vyāghra (tiger)
• girīṃdrajā (mountain-king’s daughter)
• Kīrtimālinī (implied context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True devotion is measured by inner intention (bhāva), and the Divine may test it through deceptive appearances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is on Śiva’s līlā (divine test) within the Brahmottarakhaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None here; the verse centers on a moral-spiritual test rather than a stated rite.