Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

सप्तद्वीपप्रमाणस्तु सोऽग्निर्भूत्वा महेश्वरः । सप्तद्वीपसमुद्रान्तां निर्ददाह वसुंधराम्

Transliteration

saptadvīpapramāṇastu so'gnirbhūtvā maheśvaraḥ | saptadvīpasamudrāntāṃ nirdadāha vasuṃdharām

Translation

Zu Feuer geworden, dehnte sich Maheśvara bis zum Maß der sieben Dvīpas aus und verbrannte die Erde, umgrenzt von den Ozeanen der sieben Dvīpas.

Word by Word

• सप्तद्वीपप्रमाणः: having the extent of the seven continents
• सप्तद्वीपप्रमाणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वीप (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘प्रमाणः’ (measure/extent) with षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष sense ‘सप्तद्वीपानां प्रमाणः’

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/particle—contrast/emphasis

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अग्निः: fire
• अग्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); ‘having become’

• महेश्वरः: Maheshvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेष्य—‘सः’ (apposition)

• सप्तद्वीपसमुद्रान्ताम्: bounded by the oceans of the seven continents
• सप्तद्वीपसमुद्रान्ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वीप (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘वसुंधराम्’; अर्थः ‘सप्तद्वीपसमुद्रैः अन्ता (मर्यादिता) याम्’ (bounded by the oceans of the seven continents)

• निर्ददाह: burned up
• निर्ददाह: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दह् (धातु) + निर् (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वसुंधराम्: the earth
• वसुंधराम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुंधरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Purāṇic narration addressed to a listener)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Maheśvara assumes an all-pervading form of fire, expanding to the measure of the seven dvīpas; oceans ring the burning continents as the world-map itself glows.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara
• Agni
• Saptadvīpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is not limited by form; he pervades cosmic scale, reminding devotees that the ultimate refuge is the Lord, not the transient world.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is cited; the verse emphasizes cosmic geography to heighten the Purāṇic grandeur of the narrative context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated.