Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

एतदेव पुरा प्रश्नं गौर्या पृष्टस्तु शङ्करः । प्रोवाच नृपशार्दूल गुह्याद्गुह्यतरं शुभम्

Transliteration

etadeva purā praśnaṃ gauryā pṛṣṭastu śaṅkaraḥ | provāca nṛpaśārdūla guhyādguhyataraṃ śubham

Translation

Chính câu hỏi ấy thuở trước Gaurī đã thưa hỏi Śaṅkara. Và Ngài, hỡi bậc hổ tướng giữa các vua, đã hé lộ một bí mật cát tường—kín nhiệm hơn cả điều kín nhiệm.

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Emphasis/Restriction (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (restrictive particle)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• प्रश्नम्: question
• प्रश्नम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रश्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• गौर्या: by Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• गौर्या: Karana (करण/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• पृष्टः: was asked
• पृष्टः: Karta (कर्ता; 'he who was asked')
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृत्/क्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधान/विरोधसूचक निपात (contrastive particle)

• शङ्करः: Śaṅkara
• शङ्करः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रोवाच: replied/said forth
• प्रोवाच: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: प्र-

• नृपशार्दूल: O tiger among kings
• नृपशार्दूल: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप-शार्दूल (प्रातिपदिक; नृप + शार्दूल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• गुह्यात्: than (what is) secret
• गुह्यात्: Apadana (अपादान/Source; 'than secret')
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुह्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• गुह्यतरम्: more secret
• गुह्यतरम्: Karma (कर्म/Object; said thing)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुह्यतर (प्रातिपदिक; गुह्य + तरप्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); तुलनात्मक (comparative)

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual voice addressing a king)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The king (nṛpaśārdūla)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaurī questions Śaṅkara in a secluded Himalayan-like grove; Śiva responds with a gesture of disclosure, suggesting a secret about a powerful tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge about tīrthas is portrayed as a divine secret, revealed through devotion and proper inquiry.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces a forthcoming revelation connected to the Revā (Narmadā) region, elaborated in the next verses.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; it frames the disclosure of a tīrtha-rahasya.