Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

। नारद उवाच । व्रजंती गिरिजाऽपश्यत्सखीं मातुर्महाप्रभाम् । कुसुमामोदिनींनाम तस्य शैलस्य देवताम्

Transliteration

| nārada uvāca | vrajaṃtī girijā'paśyatsakhīṃ māturmahāprabhām | kusumāmodinīṃnāma tasya śailasya devatām

Translation

നാരദൻ പറഞ്ഞു—പോകുന്ന ഗിരിജ തന്റെ മാതാവിന്റെ മഹാപ്രഭയുള്ള സഖിയെ കണ്ടു; അവൾ ആ പർവതത്തിന്റെ ദേവത, കുസുമാമോദിനീ എന്ന നാമമുള്ളവൾ।

Word by Word

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• व्रजन्ती: going
• व्रजन्ती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्रज् (धातु) → व्रजत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present active participle/शतृ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• गिरिजा: Girijā (Pārvatī)
• गिरिजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरिजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• अपश्यत्: saw
• अपश्यत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• सखीम्: a female friend
• सखीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सखी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन (Singular)

• मातुः: of (her) mother
• मातुः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Singular)

• महाप्रभाम्: of great splendor
• महाप्रभाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाप्रभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—कर्मधारय (महती प्रभा यस्याः)

• कुसुम-आमोदिनीम्: Kusumāmodinī (delighting in flowers)
• कुसुम-आमोदिनीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुसुम (प्रातिपदिक) + आमोदिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुष (कुसुमानाम् आमोदिनी)

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha (Apposition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-शब्दः (indeclinable indicating name/‘by name’)

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• शैलस्य: of the mountain
• शैलस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Singular)

• देवताम्: the goddess/deity
• देवताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaila-devatā abode (unnamed mountain in context)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Girijā walking along a mountain path, bathed in soft radiance, beholds Kusumāmodinī—flower-fragrant, luminous mountain-deity, friend of her mother—appearing amid blossoms and rocky slopes.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Girijā (Pārvatī)
• Kusumāmodinī (mountain deity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred landscapes are portrayed as living with presiding divinities; devotion recognizes divine presence in place (sthāna).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sacred mountain setting is implied (Himācala/Himalaya context), with its śaila-devatā; no named tīrtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.