Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

स्त्रीरूपं समवस्थाय रुद्रमाराधयत्पुरा । आद्ये कृतयुगे तस्मिन्समानामयुतं नृप

Transliteration

strīrūpaṃ samavasthāya rudramārādhayatpurā | ādye kṛtayuge tasminsamānāmayutaṃ nṛpa

Translation

أيها الملك، في ذلك العصر الأوّل من كريتا يوغا، اتّخذت يومًا هيئةَ امرأة وعبدت رودرا، وداومت على تلك العبادة عشرةَ آلافِ سنة.

Word by Word

• स्त्रीरूपम्: a female form
• स्त्रीरूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: ‘स्त्रियाः रूपम्/स्त्रीरूपम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• समवस्थाय: having assumed
• समवस्थाय: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+अव+स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (gerund/absolutive): ‘having assumed/entered’; उपसर्ग: सम्+अव+

• रुद्रम्: Rudra
• रुद्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• आराधयत्: worshipped, propitiated
• आराधयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ+राध् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; उपसर्ग: आ+

• पुरा: formerly, in the past
• पुरा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• आद्ये: in the first
• आद्ये: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (agreeing with ‘युगे’)

• कृतयुगे: in the Kṛta-yuga
• कृतयुगे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत (प्रातिपदिक) + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: ‘कृतं नाम युगम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• तस्मिन्: in that (time)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• समाना: equal, full
• समाना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन (agreeing with implied ‘वर्षाणि’/years)

• अम्: (sandhi element)
• अम्: Not applicable
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अ (अव्यय/उपसर्ग-सदृश)
• Form: पाठभेद/सन्ध्यन्त-अवशेष; अत्र ‘समाना+अमयुतम्’ इति सन्धौ ‘अ’ आरम्भः (am-)—स्वतन्त्रपदम् न; व्यावहारिकतः ‘अमयुतम्’ पदस्य भागः

• युतम्: a ten-thousand (years) (intended)
• युतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक-परिमाणार्थे ‘अयुतम्’ (ten-thousand) इत्यर्थे पाठः अपेक्षितः—अत्र ‘अमयुतम्’ सन्धि/पाठभेद

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (as Devī and tirtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In Kṛta Yuga, the river-goddess takes human female form, standing on a riverbank or in a forest hermitage, offering bilva leaves and water to a Rudra-liṅga for ten thousand years.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steadfast tapas and devoted worship of Rudra over long periods is portrayed as the foundation for receiving divine grace and sanctifying a sacred place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) tradition is being set up through its origin-story; the wider Revā Khaṇḍa frames the river as a tīrtha in itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ārādhana (devotional propitiation) of Rudra, characterized as prolonged tapas across many years.