Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अचलः प्रत्युवाचेदं गिरिशं नतकंधरः । कस्मान्मयानया सार्द्धं नागंतव्यं तदुच्यताम् । अचलं च व्रीत शंभुः प्रहसन्वाक्यमब्रवीत्

Transliteration

acalaḥ pratyuvācedaṃ giriśaṃ natakaṃdharaḥ | kasmānmayānayā sārddhaṃ nāgaṃtavyaṃ taducyatām | acalaṃ ca vrīta śaṃbhuḥ prahasanvākyamabravīt

Translation

अचलः नतकन्धरः गिरिशं प्रत्युवाच— “कस्मान्मया अनया सह न आगन्तव्यम्? तदुच्यताम्।” ततः शम्भुः अचलं व्रीडितं दृष्ट्वा प्रहसन् वाक्यमब्रवीत्।

Word by Word

• acalaḥ: Acala (the mountain)
• acalaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: acala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• pratyuvāca: replied
• pratyuvāca: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु) + prati- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• idam: this (speech/statement)
• idam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• giriśam: to Girīśa (Śiva)
• giriśam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giriśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• natakaṃdharaḥ: with bowed neck
• natakaṃdharaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nata (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + kaṃdhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—कर्मधारयः (नतः कन्धरः यस्य)

• kasmāt: from what reason? why?
• kasmāt: Hetu/Apadana (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• anayā: with this (woman)
• anayā: Sahakari/Karana (सहकारी/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• sārddham: together with
• sārddham: Saha (सह/Accompaniment)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sārddham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक-अव्यय (indeclinable of accompaniment: 'together with')

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• āgantavyam: to be gone / should go
• āgantavyam: Kriya (क्रिया/Obligation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु) + ā- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (तव्यत्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; भावे/कर्मणि प्रयोगः (gerundive: 'to be gone/should go')

• tat: that (reason/matter)
• tat: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ucyatām: let it be stated
• ucyatām: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (passive: 'let it be said')

• acalam: Acala (the mountain)
• acalam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: acala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• vrītaḥ: having chosen/accepted
• vrītaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Agent as participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः (past participle: 'having chosen/accepted')

• śaṃbhuḥ: Śambhu (Śiva)
• śaṃbhuḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• prahasan: smiling
• prahasan: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√has (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणभावः (while smiling)

• vākyam: words; a statement
• vākyam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa-tradition), with quoted speech by Acala and Śiva

Characters & Entities

• Acala
• Giriśa
• Śambhu
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma encourages inquiry with humility; restrictions in sacred matters have reasons tied to purity and right relationship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedārakhaṇḍa’s Kedāra sacred setting frames the dialogue, though no single tīrtha is explicitly named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the verse sets up an explanation for a behavioral restriction.