Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । कुमारेण स्थापितोऽत्र कुमारेशस्ततः सुराः । प्रणम्य गुहमूचुश्च प्रबद्धकरसंपुटाः

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | kumāreṇa sthāpito'tra kumāreśastataḥ surāḥ | praṇamya guhamūcuśca prabaddhakarasaṃpuṭāḥ

Translation

നാരദൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇവിടെ കുമാരൻ (സ്കന്ദൻ) കുമാരേശനെ സ്ഥാപിച്ചു. തുടർന്ന് ദേവന്മാർ കരജോഡിച്ച് നമസ്കരിച്ചു ഗുഹ (സ്കന്ദൻ)നോട് പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• nāradaḥ: Nārada
• nāradaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• kumāreṇa: by Kumāra (Skanda)
• kumāreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• sthāpitaḥ: was established
• sthāpitaḥ: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रियाविशेषण-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु) + ita (कृत् प्रत्यय; क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; passive sense

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• kumāra-īśaḥ: Kumāreśa (Lord of Kumāra)
• kumāra-īśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumāra (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कुमारस्य ईशः)

• tataḥ: then; thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदनन्तर-कालवाचक/हेतुवाचक (then/thereupon)

• surāḥ: the gods
• surāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• praṇamya: having bowed
• praṇamya: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√nam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• guham: Guha (Skanda)
• guham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• prabaddha-kara-saṃpuṭāḥ: with hands joined (in reverence)
• prabaddha-kara-saṃpuṭāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prabaddha (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; pra-√bandh 'बन्ध्' क्त) + kara (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃpuṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: प्रबद्धौ करौ यस्य/येषां ते—here as descriptive of surāḥ; sense: hands joined in a hollow/añjali

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kumāreśa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied: the primary interlocutor(s) in the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa frame (sages/assembly).

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda/Guha stands near a newly established liṅga named Kumāreśa; devas gather in a semicircle with hands folded, heads bowed; Nārada as narrator present with vīṇā; the liṅga radiates a calm yet potent aura.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Kumāra (Skanda)
• Kumāreśa
• Surāḥ (gods)
• Guha (Skanda)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine beings themselves honor sacred installations; humility and reverence (añjali, praṇāma) are central to tīrtha-dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The locale where Kumāra established Kumāreśa—presented as a sanctified liṅga-site in Kaumārikākhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Praṇāma and añjali (joined palms) before the deity, reflecting proper pilgrimage etiquette.