Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तथेति च वचोमत्वा तत्क्षणादेव लिह्य तत् । निर्मांसं च कृतं सद्यस्तया धेन्वा कलेवरम्

Transliteration

tatheti ca vacomatvā tatkṣaṇādeva lihya tat | nirmāṃsaṃ ca kṛtaṃ sadyastayā dhenvā kalevaram

Translation

അവൾ “തഥാസ്തു” എന്നു പറഞ്ഞു ആജ്ഞ സ്വീകരിച്ച് ഉടൻ തന്നെ ദേഹം നക്കി; ആ ധേനു ക്ഷണത്തിൽ തന്നെ ആ ശരീരം മാംസരഹിതമാക്കി.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (thus/so)

• इति: saying/‘thus’
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

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

• वचः: the word/command
• वचः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• मत्वा: having understood
• मत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मन् (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्यय-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive), ‘having considered/understood’

• तत्क्षणात्: from that very moment
• तत्क्षणात्: Apadana/Avadhi (Point of time/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तस्मिन् क्षणे/तत्क्षण) (Masculine, Ablative, Singular)

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

• लिह्य: lick
• लिह्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लिह् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (2nd person singular)

• तत्: that (body)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• निर्मांसम्: fleshless
• निर्मांसम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

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

• कृतम्: was made/became
• कृतम्: Kriya (Resultative predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘made/became’

• सद्यः: immediately
• सद्यः: Kriya-viseshana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सद्यः (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (immediately)

• तया: by her
• तया: Karana (Instrument/Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Instrumental, Singular)

• धेन्वा: by the cow
• धेन्वा: Karana (Instrument/Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Instrumental, Singular)

• कलेवरम्: the body
• कलेवरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलेवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

Speaker

Lomaśa (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Surabhī immediately licks Dadhīci’s body, rendering it fleshless—an uncanny, sacred transformation performed without violence, as a ritual preparation.

Characters & Entities

• Surabhī (divine cow)
• Indra (implied)
• Dadhīci (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When a righteous purpose is clear, decisive action follows—supporting dharma without delay.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra sacred narrative frame continues; no single tirtha is singled out in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None for practitioners; it is a mythic-historical step in crafting divine weapons.