Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीनारद उवाच । बर्बरीतीर्थमाहात्म्यमथो वक्ष्यामि तेऽर्जुन । यथा बर्बरिका जाता शतश्रृंगा नृपात्मजा

Transliteration

śrīnārada uvāca | barbarītīrthamāhātmyamatho vakṣyāmi te'rjuna | yathā barbarikā jātā śataśrṛṃgā nṛpātmajā

Translation

ശ്രീ നാരദൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ അർജുനാ, ഇനി ഞാൻ നിന്നോട് ബർബരീ തീർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ മഹാത്മ്യം പറയും; ശതശൃംഗരാജാവിന്റെ പുത്രിയായി ബർബരിക എങ്ങനെ ജനിച്ചുവെന്നതും.

Word by Word

• श्री-नारदः: the venerable Nārada
• श्री-नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (श्रीमान् नारदः)

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

• बर्बरी-तीर्थ-माहात्म्यम्: the greatness of Barbarī-tīrtha
• बर्बरी-तीर्थ-माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बर्बरी (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (बर्बरीतीर्थस्य माहात्म्यम्)

• अथ: now/then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)

• वक्ष्यामि: I shall tell
• वक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन (तुभ्यम्-आदेशः)

• अर्जुन: O Arjuna
• अर्जुन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• यथा: how/as
• यथा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as/how)

• बर्बरिका: Barbarikā
• बर्बरिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बर्बरिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जाता: was born
• जाता: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (जाता = born)

• शत-शृङ्गा: having a hundred horns
• शत-शृङ्गा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक) + शृङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (शतानि शृङ्गाणि यस्याः सा)

• नृप-आत्मजा: a king’s daughter
• नृप-आत्मजा: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नृपस्य आत्मजा)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Barbarī-tīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Arjuna (Dhanaṃjaya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest-āśrama setting: Nārada, vīṇā in hand, begins narrating to Arjuna the greatness of Barbarī-tīrtha and the birth of Barbarikā, daughter of King Śataśṛṅga.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Arjuna
• Barbarī Tīrtha
• Barbarikā
• King Śataśṛṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s power is understood through its origin narrative; sacred geography is anchored in dharmic history and exemplary lives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Barbarī Tīrtha is explicitly introduced for glorification (māhātmya).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this opening verse; it inaugurates the māhātmya narration.