Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

एकदा पूजमानं तं शंकरं परमार्थदम् । यमो हि प्रेषयामास यमदूतान्नृपं प्रति

Transliteration

ekadā pūjamānaṃ taṃ śaṃkaraṃ paramārthadam | yamo hi preṣayāmāsa yamadūtānnṛpaṃ prati

Translation

ایک بار جب وہ شَنکر، جو اعلیٰ ترین حقیقت کا عطا کرنے والا ہے، کی پوجا میں مشغول تھا، تو یم نے بادشاہ کی طرف اپنے یم دوت بھیجے۔

Word by Word

• ekadā: once
• ekadā: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ekadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (once)

• pūjamānam: worshipping
• pūjamānam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु) + śānac (शानच्)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्), परस्मैपद-कर्तरि; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण (तम् इति विशेष्य)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• śaṃkaram: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṃkaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेष्य (देवता-नाम)

• paramārtha-dam: giver of the highest good
• paramārtha-dam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक) + da (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-आधार)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (परमं अर्थं ददाति इति)

• yamaḥ: Yama
• yamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• preṣayāmāsa: sent/dispatched
• preṣayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-iṣ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; causative sense not intended here (simple perfect of प्रेषयति)

• yama-dūtān: Yama's messengers
• yama-dūtān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक) + dūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यमस्य दूताः)

• nṛpam: the king
• nṛpam: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• prati: towards/against
• prati: Sambandha (Direction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश-अव्यय/कर्मप्रवचनीय (preposition)

Speaker

Lomaśa (narration continues)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied continuing audience (Viprāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a Śiva temple: the king absorbed in pūjā before the liṅga; in the shadows, Yama’s emissaries appear, creating a stark contrast between devotion and impending seizure.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Yama
• Yamadūtas
• Śveta (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The moment of death is framed as a spiritual test; worship of Śaṅkara is presented as connection to the highest good even then.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Kedāra-khaṇḍa context glorifies Kedārakṣetra and Śiva’s domain; this verse focuses on the narrative event involving Yama.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva-pūjā is the explicit practice shown; no additional rite is specified in this verse.