Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । कथं देवो जगद्धाता कामेन कलुषीकृतः । कथं च नित्यदा वास एकस्थानेषु जायते

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kathaṃ devo jagaddhātā kāmena kaluṣīkṛtaḥ | kathaṃ ca nityadā vāsa ekasthāneṣu jāyate

Translation

യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ജഗദ്ധാതാവായ ദേവൻ കാമത്താൽ എങ്ങനെ കലുഷിതനായി? പിന്നെ ഒരേ സ്ഥലത്ത് നിത്യവാസം എങ്ങനെ സംഭവിക്കുന്നു?

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb: 'how')

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जगद्धाता: the sustainer/creator of the world
• जगद्धाता: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् + धातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; देवः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषण-रूपेण (appositional epithet)

• कामेन: by desire
• कामेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कलुषीकृतः: made impure/tainted
• कलुषीकृतः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कलुषी-√कृ (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; देवः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• नित्यदा: always
• नित्यदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time: 'always')

• वासः: dwelling, residence
• वासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एकस्थानेषु: in one place/at single locations
• एकस्थानेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• जायते: arises/comes to be
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Agnitīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest-ashram setting near the river: Yudhiṣṭhira seated with folded hands, brows knit in inquiry; Mārkaṇḍeya serene; in the background, a symbolic vignette of Agni near the river to foreshadow the explanation.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Agni (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma begins with inquiry: questioning divine narratives seeks the ethical meaning behind tīrtha legends.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Agnitīrtha is the immediate context; the question sets up its origin-story and special sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a doctrinal question preparing for the māhātmya explanation.