Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

आह्वानं चक्रिरे तस्याः सुरभ्याश्च तया सह । आगते तत्क्षमादेव कार्यार्थं ब्रह्मणस्तदा

Transliteration

āhvānaṃ cakrire tasyāḥ surabhyāśca tayā saha | āgate tatkṣamādeva kāryārthaṃ brahmaṇastadā

Translation

അപ്പോൾ അവർ കേതകിയെ വിളിച്ചു; അവളോടൊപ്പം സുരഭിയെയും ആഹ്വാനിച്ചു. അവർ എത്തിയ ഉടൻ ബ്രഹ്മാവിന്റെ കാര്യസാധനത്തിനായി ആ കാര്യം ക്ഷണത്തിൽ തന്നെ ആരംഭിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• आह्वानम्: summoning/call
• आह्वानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ + ह्वा (धातु) → आह्वान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; object of ‘did/made’

• चक्रिरे: they made
• चक्रिरे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद; ‘they made/did’

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन; ‘of her’ (Surabhī)

• सुरभ्याः: of Surabhī
• सुरभ्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुरभी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/पञ्चमी एकवचन; here षष्ठी ‘of Surabhī’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय ‘and’

• तया: with her
• तया: Sahakarana (Accompaniment/सहकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन; ‘with her/by her’

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakarana (Accompaniment/सहकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: सहार्थक-अव्यय (postposition) ‘together with’

• आगते: when (she) had come
• आगते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु) → आगत (कृदन्त/भूतकर्मणि)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), सप्तमी एकवचन (सप्तमी-absolute/locative absolute) नपुंसक/पुं-सम्भव; ‘when (she) had come’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Deictic/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषण of क्षमा (as ‘that’)

• क्षमा: Kṣamā (Earth/forbearance)
• क्षमा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; subject (personified Earth/forbearance)

• देव: O god
• देव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, संबोधन एकवचन; vocative ‘O god’

• कार्यार्थम्: for the task’s purpose
• कार्यार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (उद्देश्य/प्रयोजनार्थ) ‘कार्यस्य अर्थः/कार्याय’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘for the purpose of the task’

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन; ‘of Brahmā’

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb) ‘then’

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śrīkedāra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas formally summon Ketakī and Surabhī; they arrive promptly, and the inquiry begins immediately to serve Brahmā’s stated purpose.

Characters & Entities

• Surabhī
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred actions and testimonies should serve dharma; urgency should not override truth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra region (Kedārakhaṇḍa) is the setting; this verse is narrative context rather than a direct tirtha-phala statement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse describes summoning witnesses for a divine matter.