Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

एवमेताः पश्चिमायामुत्तरस्यामतः शृणु । तिस्रो देव्यश्चोत्तरस्यामेकवीरामुखाः स्थिताः

Transliteration

evametāḥ paścimāyāmuttarasyāmataḥ śṛṇu | tisro devyaścottarasyāmekavīrāmukhāḥ sthitāḥ

Translation

如是诸位安住于西方；现在请听北方之事。于北方有三位女神伫立，以独勇女神（Ekavīrā）为首。

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): 'thus/in this manner'

• etāḥ: these (goddesses)
• etāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• paścimāyām: in the west
• paścimāyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paścimā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; with implied 'diśi'

• uttarasyām: in the north
• uttarasyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttarā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; with implied 'diśi'

• ataḥ: therefore/now
• ataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/conjunction): 'therefore/now'

• śṛṇu: hear
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/लोट्), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tisraḥ: three
• tisraḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; numeral adjective

• devyaḥ: goddesses
• devyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• uttarasyām: in the north
• uttarasyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttarā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; with implied 'diśi'

• eka-vīrā-mukhāḥ: having Ekavīrā as their chief/foremost
• eka-vīrā-mukhāḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (संख्या) + vīrā (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहि: 'ekavīrā mukhaṃ yāsām' = 'whose face/aspect is Ekavīrā' (i.e., headed by Ekavīrā)

• sthitāḥ: are situated
• sthitāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √sthā (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; agrees with devyaḥ

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ekavīrā-pramukhāḥ (northern triad)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Inquirer (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrator gestures from west to north on a sacred mandala-map, indicating three northern goddesses with Ekavīrā foremost.

Characters & Entities

• Ekavīrā
• Three northern Goddesses (unnamed here)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred power is mapped onto geography: the Purāṇa teaches devotees to recognize divine presences in specific directions and locales.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces northern Śakti-sthānas headed by Ekavīrā; the precise sites are expected in subsequent verses.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated here; it transitions the catalogue of Goddess-stations by direction.