Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

गुहस्ततो वचः प्राह धर्मदेवसमागमे । अयुक्तमेतच्छापोऽयं दत्तो यद्धर्म धार्ष्ट्यतः

Transliteration

guhastato vacaḥ prāha dharmadevasamāgame | ayuktametacchāpo'yaṃ datto yaddharma dhārṣṭyataḥ

Translation

ତାପରେ ଗୁହ ଧର୍ମଦେବଙ୍କ ସମ୍ମୁଖରେ କହିଲେ—“ହେ ଧର୍ମ! ଏହି ଶାପ ଯୁକ୍ତିସଙ୍ଗତ ନୁହେଁ; ଧାର୍ଷ୍ଟ୍ୟରୁ, ତ୍ୱରାରେ ଦିଆଯାଇଛି।”

Word by Word

• guhaḥ: Guha (Kārttikeya)
• guhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ततो=then

• vacaḥ: words/speech
• vacaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana/vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• prāha: said
• prāha: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; प्र-उपसर्ग

• dharmadeva-samāgame: in the assembly/meeting of Dharmadeva
• dharmadeva-samāgame: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharmadeva (प्रातिपदिक) + samāgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (धर्मदेवस्य समागमे)

• ayuktam: improper
• ayuktam: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-yukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √yuj)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• śāpaḥ: curse
• śāpaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• dattaḥ: was given
• dattaḥ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: datta (कृदन्त; √dā)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (was given)

• yat: because/that
• yat: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (relative particle) = 'because/that'

• dharma: O Dharma / Dharma
• dharma: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (पाठे सम्भवतः सम्बोधन 'धर्म' इति)

• dhārṣṭyataḥ: from audacity/rashness
• dhārṣṭyataḥ: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhārṣṭya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्ययीभाववत् (from audacity)

Speaker

Guha (Skanda/Kārttikeya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Stambhatīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava (overarching)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine council at the tīrtha: Dharma-deva present; Guha (Skanda) steps forward, hand raised in respectful objection, arguing that the curse was rash; Śiva/Yogīśa nearby as silent arbiter.

Characters & Entities

• Guha
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even righteous authority must be tempered with reflection; rash condemnation can itself become adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The dispute concerns the status and fame of the tīrtha being named Stambhatīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a theological-ethical debate about the justice of a curse.