Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

तं श्रुत्वा कौतुकाद्देवी किमेतदिति शंकरम् । पर्यपृच्छच्छुभतनूर्हरं विस्मयपूर्वकम्

Transliteration

taṃ śrutvā kautukāddevī kimetaditi śaṃkaram | paryapṛcchacchubhatanūrharaṃ vismayapūrvakam

Translation

അത് കേട്ട് കൗതുകത്തോടെ ദേവി ശങ്കരനോട് ‘ഇത് എന്താണ്?’ എന്നു ചോദിച്ചു; ശുഭദേഹിനിയായ ദേവി വിസ്മയത്തോടെ ഹരനെ ചോദ്യം ചെയ്തു।

Word by Word

• तम्: that (sound)
• तम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (त्वा-प्रत्यय) — gerund/absolutive ‘having heard’

• कौतुकात्: out of curiosity
• कौतुकात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौतुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन — Ablative singular; हेत्वर्थे (cause)

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular

• किम्: what
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Interrogative pronoun; here as predicate ‘what?’

• एतत्: is this
• एतत्: Prashna (Interrogative complement/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘this’ (predicate with किम्)

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

• शंकरम्: Śaṅkara
• शंकरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular

• पर्यपृच्छत्: asked
• पर्यपृच्छत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु) + परि (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Imperfect, 3rd person singular; परस्मैपद

• शुभतनूः: the fair-bodied (one)
• शुभतनूः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुभ-तनु (प्रातिपदिक; शुभ + तनु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular; देवी का विशेषणरूपेण

• हरम्: Hara
• हरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular

• विस्मयपूर्वकम्: in astonishment
• विस्मयपूर्वकम्: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विस्मय (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास, अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — adverbial compound ‘with astonishment as prior/with astonishment’

Speaker

Narrator (reporting Devī’s question)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī turns toward Śaṅkara with widened, wonder-filled eyes; her gesture is inquisitive yet reverent. The sky behind them still trembles with the lingering resonance.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Śaṅkara
• Hara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverent inquiry opens the way for revelation; even divine mysteries are unfolded through question and response.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting remains Mount Mandara; the verse itself is dialogic rather than tīrtha-focused.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it initiates a question in the narrative.