Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

ईश्वरोऽसि महाभाग कैलासपतिरेव च । एकाकिनः कथं देव भिक्षार्थमटनं तव

Transliteration

īśvaro'si mahābhāga kailāsapatireva ca | ekākinaḥ kathaṃ deva bhikṣārthamaṭanaṃ tava

Translation

“നീ തീർച്ചയായും ഈശ്വരൻ, ഹേ മഹാഭാഗാ—കൈലാസപതിയും തന്നേ. ഹേ ദേവാ! ഭിക്ഷാർത്ഥം നീ എങ്ങനെ ഏകാകിയായി സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്നു?”

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: the Lord
• ईश्वरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• असि: are
• असि: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महाभाग: O greatly fortunate one
• महाभाग: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (महान् भागः यस्य)

• कैलास-पतिः: lord of Kailāsa
• कैलास-पतिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैलास (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कैलासस्य पतिः)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• एकाकिनः: of you (who are) alone
• एकाकिनः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकाकिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; विशेषण (तव-विशेषण)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (how)

• देव: O god
• देव: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th), एकवचन

• भिक्ष-अर्थम्: for alms
• भिक्ष-अर्थम्: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भिक्षा (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; प्रयोजनवाचक अव्यय (for the sake of alms)

• अटनम्: wandering
• अटनम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अट् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (ल्युट्/अनम्, verbal noun); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तव: of you / your
• तव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक, सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

Speaker

ṛṣibhāryā addressing Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (linked to Kailāsa-pati)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The woman praises Śiva as Īśvara and Lord of Kailāsa, then asks how he can wander alone seeking alms; her tone blends reverence with puzzled concern.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Kailāsa
• Kailāsapati

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine greatness can coexist with radical simplicity; the Lord’s humility challenges worldly assumptions about power and status.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra region (Kedārakhaṇḍa), where Śiva’s presence and acts make the landscape spiritually potent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite; the topic is bhikṣārtha-aṭana—wandering for alms as an ascetic mode.