Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

मन्यमानो गिरिसुतां सर्वै रवयवांतरैः । अपृच्छत्साधु ते भावो गिरिपुत्री ह्यकृत्रिमा

Transliteration

manyamāno girisutāṃ sarvai ravayavāṃtaraiḥ | apṛcchatsādhu te bhāvo giriputrī hyakṛtrimā

Translation

സകല അവയവങ്ങളാലും അവളെ ഗിരിസുതയെന്നു കരുതി മഹേശ്വരൻ ചോദിച്ചു—“ഹേ ഗിരിപുത്രി, നിന്റെ ഭാവം സത്യമായും ശുഭമാണ്; നിശ്ചയമായും അകൃത്രിമമാണ്.”

Word by Word

• मन्यमानः: thinking (her to be)
• मन्यमानः: Karta (Agent in participial clause/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'thinking/considering'

• गिरिसुताम्: the daughter of the mountain (Pārvatī)
• गिरिसुताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक) + सुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गिरेः सुता)

• सर्वैः: with all
• सर्वैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अवयवांतरैः इति विशेषणम्

• अवयवांतरैः: by (her) inner limbs/features
• अवयवांतरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवयव (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अवयवानाम् अन्तरैः = by the inner parts/limbs)

• अपृच्छत्: asked
• अपृच्छत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• साधु: well!/good
• साधु: Sambodhana/Prayoga (Interjection/सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साधु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रशंसावाचक/सम्बोधनार्थक (well!/good)

• ते: your
• ते: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; (तव/your)

• भावः: state/feeling
• भावः: Karma (Content of question/वाच्यविषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गिरिपुत्री: O mountain-daughter
• गिरिपुत्री: Sambodhana-pratirupa (Address in nominative/सम्बोधनार्थ-प्रथमा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गिरेः पुत्री)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis/indeed)

• अकृत्रिमा: natural/unaltered
• अकृत्रिमा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-कृत्रिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नकारार्थक उपसर्गः अ-; गिरिपुत्री इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, believing her to be the true daughter of the mountain, speaks gently, affirming her ‘unfeigned’ disposition—while the audience senses the hidden deceit.

Characters & Entities

• Girisutā
• Giriputrī
• Pārvatī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

External resemblance can mislead; discernment must look beyond appearances to truth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is part of a narrative dialogue.