Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

पलायमानं तं दृष्ट्वा वीरभद्रः समाह्वयत्

Transliteration

palāyamānaṃ taṃ dṛṣṭvā vīrabhadraḥ samāhvayat

Translation

അവൻ ഓടിപ്പോകുന്നത് കണ്ട വീരഭദ്രൻ അവനെ വിളിച്ചു. കോപത്തോടെ “നിർത്തു, നിർത്തു!” എന്ന് ഉച്ചത്തിൽ പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• पलायमानम्: fleeing
• पलायमानम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पलाय (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘तम्’)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया (having seen)

• वीरभद्रः: Vīrabhadra
• वीरभद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीरभद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• समाह्वयत्: called out to
• समाह्वयत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + ह्वे (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (परस्मैपद, imperfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vīrabhadra, towering and radiant, extends a commanding hand and calls to the fleeing thief; gaṇas form a semicircle, blocking escape without striking.

Characters & Entities

• Vīrabhadra
• thief (taskara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine discipline can arrive as a compassionate interruption—stopping flight and opening a path to transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra-khaṇḍa’s liṅga-focused sacred region (Kedāra/Kedārnātha) is the contextual tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.