Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

केनेदं कारितं विष्णो न विदामोऽल्पमेधसः । तदा प्रहस्य भगवान्ब्रह्मणा सह तैः सुरैः

Transliteration

kenedaṃ kāritaṃ viṣṇo na vidāmo'lpamedhasaḥ | tadā prahasya bhagavānbrahmaṇā saha taiḥ suraiḥ

Translation

“โอ้พระวิษณุ สิ่งนี้ใครเป็นผู้บันดาล? พวกเราปัญญาน้อยไม่อาจรู้ได้” ครั้นแล้วพระผู้เป็นเจ้า พร้อมด้วยพระพรหมและเหล่าเทพนั้น ทรงแย้มสรวล

Word by Word

• केन: by whom?
• केन: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental, 3rd), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: कर्म/विषय (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative, 1st), एकवचनम्

• कारितम्: caused/made (to be done)
• कारितम्: विधेय-विशेषण (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + णिच् (causative) → कारित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘इदम्’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• विष्णो: O Viṣṇu
• विष्णो: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः (Vocative), एकवचनम्

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

• विदामः: we know
• विदामः: क्रिया (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), उत्तमपुरुषः (1st person), बहुवचनम् (Plural), परस्मैपदम्

• अल्पमेधसः: of little intellect / dull-witted (we)
• अल्पमेधसः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + मेधस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समासः; पुंलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; ‘वयम्’ (अध्याहृत) इति कर्तृपदस्य विशेषणम्

• तदा: then
• तदा: कालाधिकरण (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययम् (temporal adverb)

• प्रहस्य: having laughed
• प्रहस्य: पूर्वकाल-क्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-हस् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (absolutive/gerund), ‘having laughed’

• भगवान्: the Lord
• भगवान्: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• ब्रह्मणा: with Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणा: सहकारक/सहयोग (Accompaniment)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• सह: together with
• सह: सहकारक (Accompaniment marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अव्ययम् (preposition-like indeclinable), ‘with’

• तैः: with those
• तैः: सहकारक/सहयोग (Accompaniment)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुंलिङ्गम्, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• सुरैः: with the gods
• सुरैः: सहकारक/सहयोग (Accompaniment)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Lokapālas/Devas (questioning Viṣṇu); narration continues

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A council of devas and ṛṣis in a Himalayan sacred grove near Kedāra; Viṣṇu is addressed in reverent doubt; the Blessed Lord smiles with Brahmā and the gods, signaling a forthcoming revelation.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Brahmā
• Devas/Lokapālas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humility before the mysterious workings of dharma opens the way for higher revelation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra-kṣetra (context), where the hidden presence of the Liṅga becomes the ultimate answer.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a theological question-and-response setup.