Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

सतां मार्गं पुरस्कृत्य ये सर्वे ते पुरांतकाः । वीरा माहेश्वराज्ञेयाः पापक्षयकरा नृणाम्

Transliteration

satāṃ mārgaṃ puraskṛtya ye sarve te purāṃtakāḥ | vīrā māheśvarājñeyāḥ pāpakṣayakarā nṛṇām

Translation

സജ്ജനമാർഗ്ഗത്തെ മുന്നിൽ വെച്ച് നടക്കുന്നവർ എല്ലാവരും ‘പുരാന്തകർ’; അവർ മാഹേശ്വര വീരന്മാർ എന്നു അറിയപ്പെടണം, മനുഷ്യരുടെ പാപക്ഷയകരർ।

Word by Word

• सताम्: of the good (people)
• सताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति बहुवचन (Genitive plural)

• मार्गम्: path
• मार्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• पुरस्कृत्य: having put forward / having adopted
• पुरस्कृत्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पुरस् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + √कृ (धातु) → पुरस्कृ; क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/absolutive); क्रियाविशेषण (having placed in front/having adopted)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति बहुवचन (Nominative plural); सम्बन्धबोधक-यः (relative pronoun)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति बहुवचन (Nominative plural); विशेषण

• ते: they/those
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति बहुवचन (Nominative plural); तद्-प्रत्यय (correlative pronoun)

• पुरान्तकाः: destroyers of cities
• पुरान्तकाः: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति बहुवचन (Nominative plural); तत्पुरुषसमासः (पुरस्य अन्तकः = destroyer of cities)

• वीराः: heroes
• वीराः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति बहुवचन (Nominative plural)

• माहेश्वर-आज्ञेयाः: to be known as Māheśvaras
• माहेश्वर-आज्ञेयाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माहेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + आज्ञेय (प्रातिपदिक; from √ज्ञा with ā- + यत्/णीय? meaning 'to be known/recognized')
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति बहुवचन (Nominative plural); तत्पुरुषसमासः (माहेश्वराः इति आज्ञेयाः = to be known as Maheshvara's)

• पाप-क्षय-कराः: causing the destruction of sins
• पाप-क्षय-कराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षय (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति बहुवचन (Nominative plural); तत्पुरुषसमासः (पापस्य क्षयः तं करोति)

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति बहुवचन (Genitive plural)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedārakṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees walking a righteous path toward Kedāra, depicted as Śaiva ‘heroes’; symbolic Tripura-fortresses dissolving into ash behind them.

Characters & Entities

• Māheśvaras
• Purāntaka (epithet)
• Sat (the righteous)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ethical righteousness aligned with Śiva turns devotees into spiritual ‘heroes’ whose very life diminishes sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is set within Kedārakhaṇḍa; it supports Kedāra’s Mahātmya by praising Śaiva conduct associated with pilgrimage and devotion.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it prescribes satmārga—prioritizing righteous conduct as a Śaiva discipline.