Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । शपषाः पोशघटकौ विषाग्न तप्तमाषकौ । फलं च तंदुलं चैव दिव्यान्यष्टौ विदुर्बुधाः

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | śapaṣāḥ pośaghaṭakau viṣāgna taptamāṣakau | phalaṃ ca taṃdulaṃ caiva divyānyaṣṭau vidurbudhāḥ

Translation

നാരദൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ശപഷാ, പോഷ, ഘടക; വിഷം, അഗ്നി; തപ്തമാഷക; കൂടാതെ ഫലം, തണ്ടുലം—ഇവയാണ് എട്ട് ‘ദിവ്യ’ പരീക്ഷകൾ എന്ന് ജ്ഞാനികൾ അറിയുന്നു.

Word by Word

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• शपषाः: (items called) śapaṣā-s
• शपषाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शपषा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• पोशघटकौ: the pośa-ghaṭaka pair
• पोशघटकौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पोश (प्रातिपदिक) + घटक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; कर्मधारय (पोशः घटकः)

• विषाग्नि: poison-and-fire (as a combined item)
• विषाग्नि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन (समाहार-द्वन्द्व); (विषं च अग्निश्च)

• तप्तमाषकौ: two heated māṣaka-weights/beans
• तप्तमाषकौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तप्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; तप् धातु) + माषक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; कर्मधारय (तप्तः माषकः)

• फलम्: fruit
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तण्डुलम्: rice grain
• तण्डुलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तण्डुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• दिव्यानि: divine
• दिव्यानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), बहुवचन

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• विदुः: know/declare
• विदुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• बुधाः: the wise
• बुधाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Nārada

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Arjuna

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada enumerates eight ordeals; visualized as symbolic vignettes: poison cup, fire altar, heated metal/seed measure, fruit and rice tests, and oath implements—arranged like a didactic panel.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma literature preserves structured methods for resolving doubts when ordinary evidence is absent, emphasizing accountability and truth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse catalogues doctrinal categories of ordeals.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It enumerates eight forms of divya-parīkṣā (ordeals), which are to be applied in appropriate cases (detailed subsequently).