Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

पतित्वा पादयोस्तस्य कृतार्थास्मीत्यभाषत । तस्मिन्नेव महाक्षेत्रे तस्मादेव द्विजोत्तमात्

Transliteration

patitvā pādayostasya kṛtārthāsmītyabhāṣata | tasminneva mahākṣetre tasmādeva dvijottamāt

Translation

അവൾ അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ പാദങ്ങളിൽ വീണു, “ഞാൻ കൃതാർത്ഥയായി” എന്നു പറഞ്ഞു. അതേ മഹാക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ, അതേ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ദ്വിജനിൽ നിന്നു അവൾക്ക് കൂടുതൽ ഉപദേശവും ലഭിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• पतित्वा: having fallen (down)
• पतित्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), धातु: पत् (to fall)

• पादयोः: at/on the two feet
• पादयोः: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/सप्तमी?—द्विवचन, रूप: पादयोः (Genitive/Dative? actually षष्ठी/सप्तमी द्विवचन: of/in the two feet)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• कृतार्था: fulfilled, having achieved the purpose
• कृतार्था: Kartā (Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतार्थ (प्रातिपदिक; कृ + अर्थ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• अस्मि: I am
• अस्मि: Kriyā (Verbal predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Vākyārtha-dyotaka (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्तिसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• अभाषत: she/he spoke
• अभाषत: Kriyā (Verbal predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भाष् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha-dyotaka (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• महाक्षेत्रे: in the great sacred field (holy place)
• महाक्षेत्रे: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाक्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक; महा + क्षेत्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तस्मात्: from that
• तस्मात्: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha-dyotaka (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• द्विजोत्तमात्: from the best of the twice-born (excellent Brahmin)
• द्विजोत्तमात्: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजोत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; द्विज + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (describing the woman’s act of surrender and the setting)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: mahākṣetra (name not specified in excerpt)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted woman prostrates at the feet of an eminent brāhmaṇa within a sacred precinct; the atmosphere is quiet, temple-like, with pilgrims and trees/ghāṭa elements suggesting a kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Dvijottama (excellent brāhmaṇa)
• Woman devotee (nārī)
• Mahākṣetra (great sacred region)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humility and surrender to a worthy teacher, especially in a sacred place, opens the way to transformative instruction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse refers generally to a “mahākṣetra” (great sacred region) without naming the site in this excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Guru-pāda-vandana (reverence at the teacher’s feet) as an expression of śaraṇāgati.