Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

आरोहयेच्छिरो नैव क्वचिद्धित्वा उपानहौ । यथा स मूढो भवति देवीभक्तिरतस्तथा

Transliteration

ārohayecchiro naiva kvaciddhitvā upānahau | yathā sa mūḍho bhavati devībhaktiratastathā

Translation

യഥോചിതമായ മര്യാദ വിട്ട് ആരും ചെരിപ്പ് തലയിൽ കയറ്റുകയില്ല; അതുപോലെ പ്രകൃതി-രൂപ ദേവിയിലേയ്ക്ക് മാത്രം ചായുന്ന ഭക്തിയും മൂഢതയാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• आरोहयेत्: should place/raise (make ascend)
• आरोहयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-रुह् (धातु) [णिच्]
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिच्-प्रत्यय (causative)

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• क्वचित्: anywhere/ever
• क्वचित्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: somewhere/ever)

• हित्वा: having abandoned
• हित्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया

• उपानहौ: (a pair of) sandals
• उपानहौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपानह् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, द्विवचन

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (correlative: as)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मूढः: deluded, foolish
• मूढः: Karta (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूढ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सः इति)

• भवति: becomes
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• देवीभक्तिः: devotion to the Goddess
• देवीभक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी + भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देव्याः भक्तिः)

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक/तस्मात्-अर्थक-अव्यय (therefore/from this)

• तथा: so
• तथा: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तुल्यतावाचक-अव्यय (so, in that way)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced; Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: a foolish person tries to place shoes on the head while the guru points out the absurdity; parallel vignette shows a devotee worshipping Prakṛti alone while ignoring the supreme deity.

Characters & Entities

• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion must be guided by right understanding and proper hierarchy of the divine; misplaced worship born of delusion is compared to reversing what is fitting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is described; the verse uses an ethical analogy.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; it comments on the correctness of devotional orientation.