Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

भिक्षुरूपं परं कृत्वा देवदेवो महेश्वरः । एकशालां गतो ग्रामं भिक्षार्थी क्षुत्पिपासितः

Transliteration

bhikṣurūpaṃ paraṃ kṛtvā devadevo maheśvaraḥ | ekaśālāṃ gato grāmaṃ bhikṣārthī kṣutpipāsitaḥ

Translation

தேவர்களின் தேவனான மகேஸ்வரன் உயர்ந்த பிச்சைக்காரன் வடிவம் கொண்டு, பசி தாகம் கொண்டதுபோல் தோன்றி, பிச்சை வேண்டி ‘ஏகசாலா’ என்னும் கிராமத்திற்குச் சென்றான்.

Word by Word

• bhikṣu-rūpam: the form of a mendicant
• bhikṣu-rūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhikṣu (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• param: supreme; excellent
• param: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (bhikṣurūpam इति)

• kṛtvā: having made/assuming
• kṛtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having done/made’

• deva-devaḥ: the god of gods
• deva-devaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘देवानां देवः’)

• maheśvaraḥ: Maheshvara (Great Lord)
• maheśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

• eka-śālām: a single-hut (house)
• eka-śālām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + śālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (‘एकैव शाला यस्याः/या’)

• gataḥ: went; having gone
• gataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘gone’

• grāmam: to the village
• grāmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• bhikṣā-arthī: seeking alms
• bhikṣā-arthī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhikṣā (प्रातिपदिक) + arthin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (चतुर्थी/षष्ठीभावः: ‘भिक्षायै अर्थी’)

• kṣut-pipāsitaḥ: hungry and thirsty
• kṣut-pipāsitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣut (प्रातिपदिक) + pipāsita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (क्षुत् च पिपासा च) तदर्थे ‘क्षुत्पिपासितः’ = ‘hungry and thirsty’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual) / Ekaśālā-grāma episode

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava addressee implied by later vocative (Pārtha) in the passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva as a supreme mendicant enters the village Ekaśālā, appearing hungry and thirsty, carrying the aura of divinity beneath deliberate simplicity.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Ekaśālā (village)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord may appear as a beggar to reveal dharma—testing hospitality, charity, and humility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ekaśālā is introduced as the narrative location; later verses typically unfold its sacred significance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, bhikṣā-dāna (giving alms) and honoring guests/ascetics are upheld as dharma.