Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

दक्षिणस्यां तथा तारा संस्थिता स्थापिता मया । तारणार्थाय देवानां यस्मात्कूर्मं समाश्रिता

Transliteration

dakṣiṇasyāṃ tathā tārā saṃsthitā sthāpitā mayā | tāraṇārthāya devānāṃ yasmātkūrmaṃ samāśritā

Translation

ฉันได้สถาปนาเทวีตาราไว้ ณ ทิศใต้เช่นกัน เพราะเพื่อการข้ามพ้นและการเกื้อกูลเหล่าเทพ นางได้อาศัยกูรมะและประสิทธิ์พลังศักติแก่ท่าน

Word by Word

• दक्षिणस्याम्: in the south (direction)
• दक्षिणस्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative of place)

• तथा: thus; likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• तारा: Tārā (name)
• तारा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• संस्थिता: is stationed; has stood
• संस्थिता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘स्थित’ अर्थे

• स्थापिता: was established/placed
• स्थापिता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + णिच् (causative) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana/Agent (Instrument/कर्ता-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• तारणार्थाय: for the purpose of saving
• तारणार्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारण + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (purpose: ‘for the sake of deliverance’); पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• यस्मात्: because; from which reason
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेतु/कारणार्थे (ablative of cause)

• कूर्मम्: the tortoise (Kūrma)
• कूर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• समाश्रिता: has taken refuge in; has resorted to
• समाश्रिता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-श्रि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘आश्रित’ अर्थे

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating (first-person quotation preserved in the passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tārā-sthāna (Dakṣiṇa-diś pīṭha motif)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A southern-quarter shrine-seat where Devī Tārā is ritually installed; behind her, the cosmic Kūrma (tortoise) as a stabilizing refuge; devas in supplication seeking deliverance.

Characters & Entities

• Tārā
• Devas
• Kūrma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Goddess functions as a savior-power (tārā) who protects divine order by empowering avatāric supports like Kūrma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A directional sacred-guardianship theme is presented; no named tīrtha appears in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; it narrates the स्थापना (installation) and protective purpose.