Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

सुकुमारी सती बाले स्वयमेव कथं शुभे । संमार्जनं च कुरुषे कन्यके त्वं शुचिस्मिते

Transliteration

sukumārī satī bāle svayameva kathaṃ śubhe | saṃmārjanaṃ ca kuruṣe kanyake tvaṃ śucismite

Translation

“ഹേ സുകുമാരി, സതി ബാലികേ, ഹേ ശുഭേ! നീ സ്വയം എങ്ങനെ തൂത്തുവാരി ശുചീകരിക്കുന്നു, ഹേ ശുചിസ്മിതേ കന്യകേ?”

Word by Word

• सुकुमारी: O delicate one
• सुकुमारी: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + कुमारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘very delicate/soft maiden’), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संबोधनार्थे अपि प्रयोगः (vocative sense)

• सती: O Satī / O virtuous one
• सती: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संबोधनार्थे (vocative sense)

• बाले: O girl
• बाले: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/8th), एकवचन

• स्वयम्: yourself
• स्वयम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• एव: indeed
• एव: निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphasis)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• शुभे: O auspicious one
• शुभे: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/8th), एकवचन

• संमार्जनम्: cleaning, sweeping
• संमार्जनम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् + मृज् (धातु) → संमार्जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त-नाम (action noun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• कुरुषे: you do
• कुरुषे: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• कन्यके: O maiden
• कन्यके: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्यका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/8th), एकवचन

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, उत्तम-पुरुष-संबन्धि (2nd person pronoun), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शुचिस्मिते: O pure-smiling one
• शुचिस्मिते: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि + स्मित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘pure-smiling’), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Ṛṣi Uddālaka

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śiva-dvāra (temple threshold)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Internal audience (unspecified)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close conversational moment: Uddālaka addressing Sundarī with gentle astonishment; Sundarī pauses mid-sweep, smiling modestly, eyes lowered in humility; the Śiva doorway behind them glows with lamp-light.

Characters & Entities

• Uddālaka
• Sundarī
• Śiva (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional service transcends social rank; sincerity is measured by willingness to serve personally.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra’s Śiva sacred setting, where the temple itself becomes the focus of daily devotion.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Saṃmārjana—hands-on cleaning as a valued component of Śiva temple worship.