Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

कर्दमो यस्त्वहमपि ज्ञात्वा तीर्थमहा गुणान् । सर्वां भुवं परित्यज्य कृत्वा ह्यश्रममास्तितः

Transliteration

kardamo yastvahamapi jñātvā tīrthamahā guṇān | sarvāṃ bhuvaṃ parityajya kṛtvā hyaśramamāstitaḥ

Translation

“ഞാൻ കർദമനും, ഈ തീർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ മഹാഗുണങ്ങൾ അറിഞ്ഞ്, ഭൂമിയിലെ മറ്റു പ്രദേശങ്ങൾ എല്ലാം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച്, ഇവിടെ തന്നെ ആശ്രമം സ്ഥാപിച്ച് വസിക്കുന്നു.”

Word by Word

• कर्दमः: Kardama
• कर्दमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्दम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधकः (relative pronoun: 'who')

• तु: indeed / but
• तु: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (contrast/emphasis)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (also/even)

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तः (absolutive/gerund): ‘having known’

• तीर्थ-महा-गुणान्: the great qualities of the tīrtha
• तीर्थ-महा-गुणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + महा (प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कर्मधारय-भावः ‘महान्तः गुणाः’ + षष्ठी-सम्बन्धः ‘तीर्थस्य’)

• सर्वाम्: entire
• सर्वाम्: —
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (all/entire)

• भुवम्: the earth/world
• भुवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (earth/world)

• परित्यज्य: having abandoned
• परित्यज्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + त्यज् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: ल्यबन्त-अव्ययकृदन्तः (gerund): ‘having abandoned’

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तः: ‘having made/done’

• हि: indeed
• हि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (emphasis)

• आश्रमम्: a hermitage
• आश्रमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (hermitage/āśrama)

• आस्तितः: resided / took up (dwelling)
• आस्तितः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + स्था (धातु) + त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (क्त), पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचन; आत्मनेपद-भावः ‘आस्थितः’ = ‘स्थितवान्/आश्रितवान्’ (Ppp used in active sense: 'took up/resided')

Speaker

Kapila (speaking about Kardama, presented as exemplary testimony)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahī-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Kardama, with matted locks and ascetic staff, surveys the sacred riverbank and directs disciples to build a simple āśrama; nearby are ritual fires, deer, and sacred trees; the tīrtha waters glimmer.

Characters & Entities

• Kardama
• Kapila
• Tīrtha (Mahī–Sāgara context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s greatness is shown by the choices of realized sages who renounce elsewhere to live near it.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Mahī-associated confluence tīrtha where Kardama is said to have founded an āśrama.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Āśrama-vāsa (residing/establishing a hermitage) is implied as a meritorious response to a tīrtha’s power.