Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

कैलासाख्यं गतः शैलं प्रणामाय महेशितुः । तिष्ठ तिष्ठेत्यसौ प्रोक्तो नन्दिना वानरोत्तमः

Transliteration

kailāsākhyaṃ gataḥ śailaṃ praṇāmāya maheśituḥ | tiṣṭha tiṣṭhetyasau prokto nandinā vānarottamaḥ

Translation

เขาไปยังภูเขานามไกรลาสเพื่อกราบนอบน้อมแด่มเหศวร (พระศิวะ) ครั้นนั้นนันทินได้กล่าวแก่ยอดวานรว่า “หยุดก่อน หยุดก่อน!”

Word by Word

• कैलासाख्यम्: named ‘Kailāsa’
• कैलासाख्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कैलास (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √ख्या + क्त/आख्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; नामधेय-तत्पुरुष (कैलास इति आख्यः)

• गतः: went
• गतः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गत (कृदन्त; √गम् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘gone’ (finite verb sense)

• शैलम्: to the mountain
• शैलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म

• प्रणामाय: for salutation
• प्रणामाय: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रणाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; प्रयोजन/सम्प्रदान (dative of purpose)

• महेशितुः: of Maheśa (Śiva)
• महेशितुः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेशि/महेशितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• तिष्ठ: stand/stop
• तिष्ठ: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तिष्ठ: stop!
• तिष्ठ: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु)
• Form: लोट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (emphasis)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरण-चिह्न/quotative particle)

• असौ: that one (he)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रोक्तः: was addressed/was told
• प्रोक्तः: Kriya (Passive action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रोक्त (कृदन्त; प्र+√वच् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; कर्मणि/भावे ‘was told/was addressed’

• नन्दिना: by Nandin
• नन्दिना: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/कर्ता (agent in passive)

• वानरोत्तमः: the best of monkeys
• वानरोत्तमः: Karta (Appositive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वानर (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी/तत्पुरुषार्थे ‘वानराणाम् उत्तमः’

Speaker

Narrator (speaker not explicit in this verse; direct speech by Nandin is quoted)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kailāsa

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Hanumān arrives at snow-bright Kailāsa with folded hands; Nandin, Śiva’s bull-headed guardian, steps forward in commanding posture, palm raised in a ‘halt’ gesture, marking the boundary between outer approach and inner divine assembly.

Characters & Entities

• Kailāsa
• Śiva (Maheśa)
• Nandin
• Hanumān

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True devotion seeks darśana of the Lord; yet sacred spaces have guardians and protocols, teaching reverence, restraint, and proper approach.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kailāsa—the sacred mountain associated with Śiva (Maheśa)—is invoked as a supreme locus of worship and divine presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The act implied is praṇāma (obeisance) to Maheśa; no detailed vrata/dāna/snānā instruction appears in this verse.