Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तस्य तत्करसंलग्नं च्यवते न कदाचन । ततो हि देवदेवेशः पर्यटन् पृथिवीमिमाम्

Transliteration

tasya tatkarasaṃlagnaṃ cyavate na kadācana | tato hi devadeveśaḥ paryaṭan pṛthivīmimām

Translation

Aber jener (abgetrennte Kopf), der an seiner Hand klebte, fiel zu keiner Zeit ab. Deshalb zog der Herr der Götter aus und wanderte über diese Erde.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषण of करसंलग्नम्

• करसंलग्नम्: stuck to the hand
• करसंलग्नम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर + संलग्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (तस्य) करजैः छिन्नं मूर्धानं इत्यर्थे—हस्ते संलग्नम्

• च्यवते: falls off; slips away
• च्यवते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: च्यु (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• कदाचन: ever; at any time
• कदाचन: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचन (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Kala (Sequence/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (emphatic particle)

• देवदेवेशः: Lord of the gods
• देवदेवेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पर्यटन्: wandering about
• पर्यटन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + अट् (धातु) + शतृ (प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle, शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; देवदेवेशस्य विशेषणम्

• पृथिवीम्: the earth
• पृथिवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• इमाम्: this
• इमाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण of पृथिवीम्

Speaker

Narrator (Revā Khaṇḍa narrator addressing Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Siddheśvara (goal of the wandering)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha / king addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, the Lord of gods, wanders the earth with the skull/head stuck to his hand; landscapes shift—forests, mountains, rivers—until the destined tīrtha is reached.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Devadeveśa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karmic consequence persists until purified through prescribed expiation; pilgrimage becomes a sacred means of transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse prepares for the later revelation of the Narmadā-side Śuddharudra Tīrtha as the place of release.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, wandering/pilgrimage as part of prāyaścitta; explicit rites are described later.