Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । केन कार्येण भो तात महादेवो जगद्गुरुः । गुहायामनयत्कालं सुदीर्घं द्विजसत्तम

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kena kāryeṇa bho tāta mahādevo jagadguruḥ | guhāyāmanayatkālaṃ sudīrghaṃ dvijasattama

Translation

യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ പൂജ്യ താത, ജഗദ്ഗുരുവായ മഹാദേവൻ ഏതു കാര്യമൂലം ഗുഹയിൽ അതിദീർഘകാലം കഴിച്ചു, ഹേ ദ്വിജശ്രേഷ്ഠാ?

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• केन: by what?/for what (means)
• केन: Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• कार्येण: purpose/task
• कार्येण: Karana (Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (for the purpose)

• भो: O!
• भो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भो (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; संबोधन-निपात (vocative particle)

• तात: O father/dear one
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• महादेवः: Mahādeva
• महादेवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-देव (प्रातिपदिक; कर्मधारयः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जगद्गुरुः: teacher of the world
• जगद्गुरुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत्-गुरु (प्रातिपदिक; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• गुहायाम्: in a cave
• गुहायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुहा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अनयत्: spent/led (time)
• अनयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; causative-न (simple past: led/spent)

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• सुदीर्घम्: very long
• सुदीर्घम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक; उपपद-समासवत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying kālam)

• द्विजसत्तम: O best of twice-born (brāhmaṇa)
• द्विजसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; तत्पुरुषः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Guhāvāsī

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, seated respectfully before aged Mārkaṇḍeya in a forest-hermitage, asks why Mahādeva stayed long in a cave; the background hints at a distant mountain cave with a faint Śaiva aura.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Mahādeva (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is anchored in sacred causality: pilgrims are invited to know the divine purpose behind a site’s holiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The cave-associated site implied by “Guhāvāsī” (introduced in the preceding verse).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an inquiry that initiates the māhātmya explanation.