Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तत्र देवो जगद्धाता वाराहं रूपमास्थितः । स्थितो लोकहितार्थाय संसारार्णवतारकः

Transliteration

tatra devo jagaddhātā vārāhaṃ rūpamāsthitaḥ | sthito lokahitārthāya saṃsārārṇavatārakaḥ

Translation

Dort weilt der göttliche Schöpfer und Erhalter der Welt, der die Gestalt Vārāhas angenommen hat; zum Heil der Wesen steht er da, der die Seelen über den Ozean des Saṃsāra hinüberträgt.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/स्थान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• जगद्धाता: the sustainer of the world
• जगद्धाता: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + धातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जगतः धाता)

• वाराहम्: boar (Vārāha)
• वाराहम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाराह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); ‘रूपम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• रूपम्: form
• रूपम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• आस्थितः: having assumed
• आस्थितः: Karta (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘आस्थित’ = ‘having assumed/taken’

• स्थितः: standing/abiding
• स्थितः: Karta (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘standing/remaining’

• लोक-हित-अर्थाय: for the welfare of the world
• लोक-हित-अर्थाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + हित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √धा/√हि ‘हित’) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (लोकस्य हितस्य अर्थः)

• संसार-अर्णव-तारकः: the deliverer across the ocean of worldly existence
• संसार-अर्णव-तारकः: Karta (कर्ता/उपपद-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक) + तारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (संसाररूप-अर्णवस्य तारकः)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāha-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra / nṛpa-sattama

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Varāha as the divine sustainer stands at the riverbank shrine: boar-headed deity with regal ornaments, protective stance, aura suggesting he lifts beings from the ocean of saṃsāra; Narmadā flows beside as a visible ‘tāraṇa’ symbol.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord manifests in accessible forms at specific places to uplift the world and grant passage beyond saṃsāra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāha Tīrtha on the Narmadā, where the Lord is said to abide in Vārāha form.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; it establishes the deity’s presence and salvific power at the site.