Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

कदा पश्यति तीर्थं वै कदा नस्तारयिष्यति । इति प्रतीक्षां कुर्वन्ति पुत्राणां सततं नृप । शूलभेदे नरः स्नात्वा दृष्ट्वा शूलधरं सकृत्

Transliteration

kadā paśyati tīrthaṃ vai kadā nastārayiṣyati | iti pratīkṣāṃ kurvanti putrāṇāṃ satataṃ nṛpa | śūlabhede naraḥ snātvā dṛṣṭvā śūladharaṃ sakṛt

Translation

“അവൻ എപ്പോൾ തീർത്ഥം ദർശിക്കും—എപ്പോൾ ഞങ്ങളെ തരിക്കും?” എന്നു, ഹേ രാജാവേ, പിതൃകൾ പുത്രന്മാരെ നിരന്തരം കാത്തിരിക്കുന്നു. എന്നാൽ ശൂലഭേദത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ഒരിക്കൽ പോലും ശൂലധാരിയായ ശിവനെ ദർശിച്ചാൽ അവന്‍ നിശ്ചയമായും മോക്ഷം ലഭിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• कदा: when
• कदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb: 'when')

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• तीर्थम्: the sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/उपपद-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• कदा: when
• कदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• नः: of us / our
• नः: Sampradāna/Adhikāra (Beneficiary/possessor: 'of us')
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (genitive), बहुवचन (plural); एन्क्लिटिक रूप 'नः'

• तारयिष्यति: will deliver/save
• तारयिष्यति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तॄ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); causative sense in usage 'to cause to cross/save'

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• प्रतीक्षाम्: waiting/expectation
• प्रतीक्षाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतीक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• कुर्वन्ति: do / keep (waiting)
• कुर्वन्ति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• पुत्राणाम्: of (their) sons
• पुत्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (genitive), बहुवचन (plural)

• सततम्: always
• सततम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (vocative), एकवचन (singular)

• शूलभेदे: at Śūlabheda (place)
• शूलभेदे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूलभेद (प्रातिपदिक: शूल + भेद)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (locative), एकवचन (singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): 'शूलस्य भेदः'

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal), 'having bathed'

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal), 'having seen'

• शूलधरम्: the trident-bearer (Śiva)
• शूलधरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूलधर (प्रातिपदिक: शूल + धर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (singular); उपपद-तत्पुरुष: 'शूलं धरति'

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/आवृत्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb: once)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing a King (nṛpa) (deduced from vocative nṛpa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śūlabheda

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A son-pilgrim reaches a forested ford named Śūlabheda, bathes, and beholds Śiva as Śūladhara; in the subtle background, pitṛs wait with uplifted hands, their faces turning from anxiety to relief.

Characters & Entities

• Śūlabheda
• Śūladhara (Śiva)
• Pitṛs (implicitly)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and devotion are portrayed as acts of filial responsibility that uplift the pitṛs; Śiva-darśana is especially salvific.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śūlabheda-tīrtha, where bathing and seeing Śiva (Śūladhara) grants deliverance to one’s ancestral line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bath) at Śūlabheda and darśana of Śiva, even once.