Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

न चक्रिरे तदा दूता आज्ञां धर्मस्य चैव हि । ज्ञात्वा सर्वं यमश्चैव आगतः स्वयमेव हि

Transliteration

na cakrire tadā dūtā ājñāṃ dharmasya caiva hi | jñātvā sarvaṃ yamaścaiva āgataḥ svayameva hi

Translation

然而那时，使者并未奉行达摩之令；阎摩得知一切后，便亲自来到那里。

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• cakrire: they did / they carried out
• cakrire: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural), आत्मनेपद

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• dūtāḥ: messengers
• dūtāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• ājñām: command
• ājñām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ājñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• dharmasya: of Dharma
• dharmasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन

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

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• hi: for/indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; कारण/निश्चयार्थ)

• jñātvā: having known
• jñātvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकालिक क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (ज्ञा धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karma (Object of jñātvā/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

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

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

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• āgataḥ: came / arrived
• āgataḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle used finitely), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: स्वयम्-शब्दः, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• hi: for/indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; कारण/निश्चयार्थ)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: assembled ṛṣis / interlocutor in Kedāra-māhātmya frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A liminal moment: Yamadūtas hesitate, while Yama himself approaches the Himalayan Śaiva sanctuary, sensing an exception to ordinary cosmic procedure.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma (Dharmarāja)
• Yama
• Yamadūtas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When sacred power disrupts ordinary karmic procedure, higher authority appears—suggesting that dharma is subtle and context-sensitive, especially in Śiva’s kṣetra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra-kṣetra, implied as the setting where even Yama must personally assess the situation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated.