Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

कमण्डलुधरो देवस्त्रिदण्डी ज्ञानकोविदः । योगपट्टाक्षसूत्रेण छत्रेणैव विराजितः

Transliteration

kamaṇḍaludharo devastridaṇḍī jñānakovidaḥ | yogapaṭṭākṣasūtreṇa chatreṇaiva virājitaḥ

Translation

ذلك الحكيم الإلهي، حاملاً الكَمَنْدَلو (إناء الماء)، ممسكًا بالعصا الثلاثية، خبيرًا بالمعرفة المقدّسة، ومتزيّنًا بحزام اليوغا والمسبحة والمظلّة، كان يتلألأ بهاءً.

Word by Word

• कमण्डलुधरः: bearing a kamaṇḍalu
• कमण्डलुधरः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कमण्डलु (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कमण्डलुं धरति), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘bearing a water-pot’

• देवः: the divine one
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• त्रिदण्डी: three-staffed (tridaṇḍin)
• त्रिदण्डी: Karta (Qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या) + दण्डिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (त्रयः दण्डाः यस्य/धारयति), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having three staffs’

• ज्ञानकोविदः: expert in knowledge
• ज्ञानकोविदः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + कोविद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (ज्ञाने कोविदः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘skilled in knowledge’

• योगपट्टाक्षसूत्रेण: with a yoga-strap and rosary
• योगपट्टाक्षसूत्रेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगपट्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्षसूत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (योगपट्टं च अक्षसूत्रं च), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Instrumental singular; as a set/collective)

• छत्रेण: with an umbrella
• छत्रेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Instrumental singular)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण particle): indeed/just

• विराजितः: shining/adorned
• विराजितः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: राज् (धातु) + वि- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘adorned/shining’

Speaker

Narrator (speaker not explicitly identified in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada appears as a radiant ascetic: water-pot in hand, triple staff, yogic girdle, rosary, and a parasol—an icon of disciplined knowledge and divine dignity.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada (implied by context)
• Kamaṇḍalu
• Tridaṇḍa
• Akṣasūtra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True authority is marked by tapas, discipline, and knowledge—external signs here reflect inner spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is directly glorified; the verse is a descriptive portrait within the Tripura-vadha narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes ascetic attributes (kamaṇḍalu, staff, rosary) rather than prescribing a rite.