Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

दक्षेणोक्तो महाविष्णुरुवाच परिसांत्वयन् । त्रैगण्यविषया वेदाः संभवंति न चान्यथा

Transliteration

dakṣeṇokto mahāviṣṇuruvāca parisāṃtvayan | traigaṇyaviṣayā vedāḥ saṃbhavaṃti na cānyathā

Translation

ದಕ್ಷನು ಹೀಗೆ ಹೇಳಿದಾಗ ಮಹಾವಿಷ್ಣು ಅವನನ್ನು ಸಮಾಧಾನಪಡಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಹೇಳಿದರು—ವೇದಗಳು ತ್ರಿಗುಣಗಳನ್ನು ವಿಷಯವಾಗಿ ಹೊಂದಿವೆ; ಇದು ಬೇರೆ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲ.

Word by Word

• दक्षेण: by Dakṣa
• दक्षेण: Karana/Agent-in-instrumental (करण/कर्तृनिर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्तृनिर्देश), एकवचन

• उक्तः: addressed/spoken to
• उक्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (महाविष्णुः)

• महाविष्णुः: Mahāviṣṇu
• महाविष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाविष्णु (प्रातिपदिक); महा + विष्णु
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

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

• परिसान्त्वयन्: comforting/conciliating
• परिसान्त्वयन्: Karta (Agent participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + सान्त्व् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शतृ-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि, सहक्रिया (concomitant)

• त्रैगण्य-विषयाः: having the three guṇas as their scope
• त्रैगण्य-विषयाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रैगण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + विषय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (वेदाः)

• वेदाः: the Vedas
• वेदाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• सम्भवन्ति: arise/come to be
• सम्भवन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Mahāviṣṇu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedārakṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu, composed and compassionate, explains to Dakṣa that the Vedas address the tri-guṇa field; the scene shifts from confrontation to philosophical illumination.

Characters & Entities

• Dakṣa
• Mahāviṣṇu
• Veda
• Guṇa (sattva-rajas-tamas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vedic prescriptions often operate within the realm of the three guṇas; higher realization requires discerning their scope and purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is embedded in Kedāra Khaṇḍa’s sacred narrative setting, not a direct tīrtha-glorification verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is prescribed; the verse frames Vedic activity as largely guṇa-conditioned.