Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

गुहेनोक्तास्तदा सर्वा ऋषिपत्न्यश्च कृत्तिकाः । नक्षत्राणि समाश्रित्य भवद्भिः स्थीयतां चिरम्

Transliteration

guhenoktāstadā sarvā ṛṣipatnyaśca kṛttikāḥ | nakṣatrāṇi samāśritya bhavadbhiḥ sthīyatāṃ ciram

Translation

तेव्हा गुह (कार्त्तिकेय) यांनी ऋषिपत्नी व कृत्तिका सर्वांना सांगितले, “नक्षत्रांचा आश्रय घेऊन तुम्ही तेथे दीर्घकाळ स्थिर राहा।”

Word by Word

• गुहेन: by Guha (Skanda)
• गुहेन: कर्ता (Agent, in passive construction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• उक्ताः: were addressed / told
• उक्ताः: विधेय (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु) + त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); ऋषिपत्न्यः/कृत्तिकाः इत्यस्य विधेय

• तदा: then
• तदा: कालाधिकरण (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ऋषिपत्न्यः: wives of sages
• ऋषिपत्न्यः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि + पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ऋषेः पत्नी), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

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

• कृत्तिकाः: the Kṛttikās
• कृत्तिकाः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• नक्षत्राणि: the constellations
• नक्षत्राणि: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नक्षत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• समाश्रित्य: having resorted to
• समाश्रित्य: पूर्वकाल-क्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + आ + श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय-स्वरूप (indeclinable)

• भवद्भिः: by you (all)
• भवद्भिः: कर्ता (Agent, in passive/impersonal imperative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (honorific 2nd person pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• स्थीयताम्: let (you) stay
• स्थीयताम्: क्रिया (Injunction)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive/impersonal), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); आज्ञार्थे (let it be stayed/let you stay)

• चिरम्: for long
• चिरम्: कालावधि (Duration)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिरम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: for a long time)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating Kārttikeya/Guha’s words

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṛttikā-nakṣatra (as sacral time-space)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi audience / pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kārttikeya (Guha) speaks with commanding gentleness to the Kṛttikās and sages’ wives, pointing upward to the starry belt; the Kṛttikā cluster glows as their destined refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Guha (Kārttikeya)
• Kṛttikāḥ
• Ṛṣipatnyaḥ
• Nakṣatrāṇi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine order is maintained through rightful placement and refuge; even celestial beings follow dharma to preserve cosmic harmony.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Kedārakhaṇḍa framework, contributing to the Kedāra sacred narrative, though this specific line highlights celestial placement rather than a tīrtha act.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed in this verse.