Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 199

Devanagari script

ततो ब्रह्मा महासेनं प्रजापतिरथाब्रवीत् । अभिगच्छ महादेवं पितरं मातरं प्रभो

Transliteration

tato brahmā mahāsenaṃ prajāpatirathābravīt | abhigaccha mahādevaṃ pitaraṃ mātaraṃ prabho

Translation

അപ്പോൾ പ്രജാപതി ബ്രഹ്മാ മഹാസേനനോടു പറഞ്ഞു— “ഹേ പ്രഭോ, നിന്റെ പിതാവായ മഹാദേവനെയും നിന്റെ മാതാവിനെയും സമീപിക്ക.”

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): तस्मात्/ततः = ‘then, thereafter’

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• mahāsenaṃ: Mahāsena (Skanda)
• mahāsenaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahāsena (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• prajāpatiḥ: the Lord of creatures (Prajāpati)
• prajāpatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajāpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (ब्रह्मा-विशेषण/समनाम)

• athābravīt: then said/spoke
• athābravīt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; उपसर्ग: आ-; ‘अथ’ इति अव्यय-सम्बन्धः

• abhigaccha: go to, approach
• abhigaccha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; उपसर्ग: अभि-

• mahādevaṃ: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• mahādevaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• pitaraṃ: father
• pitaraṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitar (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• mātaraṃ: mother
• mātaraṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātar (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• prabho: O lord
• prabho: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Brahmā (Prajāpati)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā, as Prajāpati, addresses Mahāsena (Skanda) with a directive to go to Mahādeva and to his mother; the scene emphasizes authority, blessing, and the turning of the hero toward Śiva-Śakti.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Mahāsena (Skanda)
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Mother (Pārvatī, implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Honoring one’s parents and approaching elders with reverence is affirmed as dharma—even in divine narratives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned in this instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an ethical and narrative directive emphasizing reverence.