Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

महादेवस्तमारुह्य धर्मं वै वृषरूपिणम् । शोभमानो भृशं धर्ममुवाच परमामृतम्

Transliteration

mahādevastamāruhya dharmaṃ vai vṛṣarūpiṇam | śobhamāno bhṛśaṃ dharmamuvāca paramāmṛtam

Translation

امتطى مهاديڤا دارما في صورة الثور؛ متلألئاً بجلاله، خاطب دارما بكلمات كالرحيق الأعلى.

Word by Word

• महादेवः: Mahādeva
• महादेवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (महान् देवः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आरुह्य: having mounted
• आरुह्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√ruh (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव

• धर्मम्: Dharma
• धर्मम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चयार्थक/indeed particle)

• वृषरूपिणम्: in the form of a bull
• वृषरूपिणम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वृषस्य रूपी), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (धर्मस्य विशेषण)

• शोभमानः: shining, resplendent
• शोभमानः: Karta (Participial predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śubh (धातु) + śāna (शानच्)
• Form: कृदन्त (शानच्/वर्तमानकाले), आत्मनेपदीय वर्तमान-कर्तरि कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (महादेवस्य)

• भृशम्: greatly, exceedingly
• भृशम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhṛśam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/तीव्रता सूचक adverb)

• धर्मम्: to Dharma
• धर्मम्: Karman (Object of speech/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Speech verb/वचनक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• परमामृतम्: supreme nectar (words)
• परमामृतम्: Karman (Object—what was said/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + amṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (परमम् अमृतम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (उवाच इत्यस्य कर्म—वचनम्)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, likely Sūta within Setukhaṇḍa narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Gālava (frame); Dharma (in-scene)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, radiant, seated upon the bull-form Dharma, leans slightly forward to speak; the composition centers on luminous calm and the intimacy of divine counsel.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva
• Dharma
• Vṛṣabha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine instruction is portrayed as ‘amṛta’—transformative guidance that sanctifies both the listener (Dharma) and the sacred landscape to be praised.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The discourse leads into the naming and glorification of Dharmapuṣkariṇī in the Setu-region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated; it introduces a forthcoming phala-śruti (merit statement) about the tīrtha.