Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

आसुतीवलमाधाय भुवि धक्ष्यति संप्रति । इति वाक्यावसाने तु कूर्मस्य कुरुसत्तम

Transliteration

āsutīvalamādhāya bhuvi dhakṣyati saṃprati | iti vākyāvasāne tu kūrmasya kurusattama

Translation

త్వరిత ప్రేరణ బలాన్ని ధరించి, ఇతడు ఇప్పుడు భూమిపై (నన్ను) దహించును. కూర్ముడు ఇలా పలికిన మాట ముగియగానే, ఓ కురుశ్రేష్ఠా, …

Word by Word

• आसुतीवलम्: Āsutīvala (name)
• आसुतीवलम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसुतीवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; (पाठानुसारं) proper noun/object; Accusative singular

• आधाय: having placed
• आधाय: पूर्वकालक्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) ‘having placed/put’; उपसर्ग आ-; अव्ययभाव (indeclinable gerund)

• भुवि: on the ground
• भुवि: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; locative singular ‘on the earth/ground’

• धक्ष्यति: will burn
• धक्ष्यति: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दह् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘will burn’

• संप्रति: now
• संप्रति: कालाधिकरण (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: संप्रति (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय: now/at present

• इति: thus
• इति: वाक्यसमाप्ति/उद्धरण (Quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक अव्यय: thus

• वाक्यावसाने: at the end of the speech
• वाक्यावसाने: अधिकरण (Time/occasion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य + अवसान (प्रातिपदिक); (समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘वाक्यस्य अवसानम्’ = end of the statement; Locative singular

• तु: then/but
• तु: सम्बन्ध/निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयार्थक निपात: but/and then

• कूर्मस्य: of the tortoise
• कूर्मस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; Genitive singular

• कुरुसत्तम: O best of the Kurus
• कुरुसत्तम: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक); (समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘कुरुषु सत्तमः’ = best among Kurus; Vocative singular

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing a Kuru-descendant listener)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kurusattama (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The tortoise, agitated, imagines being burned again; the scene freezes at the end of its speech, with the listener (a Kuru noble) implied as the narrative camera pulls back to the assembly.

Characters & Entities

• Kūrma
• Kuru (kurusattama)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse marks a narrative turning point—speech concludes and karmic or divine events begin to unfold.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is mentioned in this transition verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative connector following the Tortoise’s statement.