Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

तौ दंपती क्रीडया सज्जमानौ दृष्टौ तदा ऋषिणा नारदेन । सविस्मयोत्फुल्लमना मनस्वी विलोकमानोऽतितरां तुतोष

Transliteration

tau daṃpatī krīḍayā sajjamānau dṛṣṭau tadā ṛṣiṇā nāradena | savismayotphullamanā manasvī vilokamāno'titarāṃ tutoṣa

Translation

അന്ന് കളിയിൽ ലീനമായിരുന്ന ആ ദമ്പതികളെ ഋഷി നാരദൻ കണ്ടു. വിസ്മയത്തോടെ ഹൃദയം വിരിഞ്ഞു; അവരുടെ ലീല കാണുമ്പോൾ ആ മഹാത്മാവ് അത്യന്തം ആനന്ദിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम-रूप (demonstrative pronoun)

• दंपती: the couple
• दंपती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दम्पती (प्रातिपदिक; दम्पति-शब्द)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; दम्पती-रूप (husband and wife as a pair)

• क्रीडया: by play, in sport
• क्रीडया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रीडा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण/हेतु-भाव (instrumental: by/through)

• सज्जमानौ: becoming attached/engaged
• सज्जमानौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सज्ज् (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present participle, आत्मनेपद-भाव); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘तौ/दंपती’)

• दृष्टौ: seen
• दृष्टौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; ‘seen’ (agreeing with ‘तौ’)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• ऋषिणा: by the sage
• ऋषिणा: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; कर्तृ-करण-भाव (agent in passive construction)

• नारदेन: by Nārada
• नारदेन: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; अपपद-विशेषण (apposition to ‘ऋषिणा’)

• सविस्मय-उत्फुल्ल-मना: with amazed and blossoming mind
• सविस्मय-उत्फुल्ल-मना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + विस्मय (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्फुल्ल (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘मनस्वी’)

• मनस्वी: the wise/strong-minded one
• मनस्वी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनस्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (of Nārada)

• विलोकमानः: looking, observing
• विलोकमानः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + लोक् (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present participle, आत्मनेपद-भाव); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-भाव (while looking)

• अतितराम्: exceedingly, very much
• अतितराम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतितरां (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/तीव्रतावाचक-अव्यय (intensifier adverb)

• तुतोष: was delighted
• तुतोष: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तुष् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa per Māheśvarakhaṇḍa convention)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada, veena-bearing, beholds Śiva and Satī/Pārvatī as a divine couple absorbed in playful sport; his face shows astonished joy amid a Himalayan sacred grove near Kedāra.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Śiva
• Pārvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana of the divine—seeing Śiva with Śakti—naturally awakens wonder and joy, a hallmark of bhakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedārakhaṇḍa is the setting; this verse highlights devotional vision rather than a named location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.