Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

कनककुसुममालां संदधे नीलकंठे सितकिरणमनोज्ञादुर्ल्लभा सा तदानीम् । स्मितविकसितनेत्रा चारुवक्त्रं शिवस्य सकलजननित्री वीक्षमाणा बभूव

Transliteration

kanakakusumamālāṃ saṃdadhe nīlakaṃṭhe sitakiraṇamanojñādurllabhā sā tadānīm | smitavikasitanetrā cāruvaktraṃ śivasya sakalajananitrī vīkṣamāṇā babhūva

Translation

तेव्हा सकलजननीने नीलकंठावर सुवर्णकुसुमांची माळ अर्पिली—चंद्रकिरणांसारखी मनोहर व दुर्लभ. मंदस्मिताने उमललेल्या नेत्रांनी ती शिवाचे सुंदर मुख निरखीत राहिली.

Word by Word

• kanaka-kusuma-mālām: a garland of golden flowers
• kanaka-kusuma-mālām: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanaka (प्रातिपदिक) + kusuma (प्रातिपदिक) + mālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘कनकस्य/कनकवर्णानां कुसुमानां माला’

• saṃdadhe: placed, put
• saṃdadhe: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-dhā (धातु √धा)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘placed/put on’

• nīlakaṇṭhe: on Nīlakaṇṭha (Śiva)
• nīlakaṇṭhe: Adhikaraṇa (Location: on/at)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīla (प्रातिपदिक) + kaṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘नीलः कण्ठः यस्य’ (Śiva)

• sita-kiraṇa-manojñā-durlabhā: lovely with pale rays and rare to behold
• sita-kiraṇa-manojñā-durlabhā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sita (प्रातिपदिक) + kiraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + manojña (प्रातिपदिक) + durlabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-कर्मधारयः: ‘सितकिरणैः मनोज्ञा (pleasant with white rays) तथा दुरलभा (rare)’ (qualifying sā)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tadānīm: at that time
• tadānīm: Kāla (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadānīm (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• smita-vikasita-netrā: with eyes opened in a smile
• smita-vikasita-netrā: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: smita (प्रातिपदिक) + vikasita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + netra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘स्मितेन विकसिते नेत्रे यस्याः’

• cāru-vaktram: the beautiful face
• cāru-vaktram: Karman (Object of vīkṣamāṇā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāru (प्रातिपदिक) + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘चारु वक्त्रम्’

• śivasya: of Śiva
• śivasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• sakala-jananitrī: mother of all
• sakala-jananitrī: Karta (Subject; apposition to sā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sakala (प्रातिपदिक) + jananitrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘सकलस्य जननी’

• vīkṣamāṇā: looking at
• vīkṣamāṇā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Participial predicate of sā)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-īkṣ (धातु √ईक्ष्)
• Form: शानच् (present middle participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘looking at’

• babhūva: became/was
• babhūva: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु √भू)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Girijā places a golden-flower garland on Śiva’s blue throat; her eyes bloom with a gentle smile as she gazes at Śiva’s lovely face; intimate devotional moment.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Nīlakaṇṭha)
• Girijā (Pārvatī)
• Sakalajananitrī (Divine Mother)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace is revealed through loving offering (upacāra) and sacred seeing (darśana), where devotion softens even the Lord’s austere stillness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra-kṣetra (Kedārakhaṇḍa context), a Śaiva sacred geography celebrated within the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the verse exemplifies pūjā through offering a flower garland and receiving darśana.