Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

उपविश्य भुवः पृष्ठे सुस्वरं मन्त्रमुच्चरन् । क्रमप्रियो महादेवो माधुर्येण प्रमोदयन्

Transliteration

upaviśya bhuvaḥ pṛṣṭhe susvaraṃ mantramuccaran | kramapriyo mahādevo mādhuryeṇa pramodayan

Translation

Auf der Erde sitzend, Mahādeva—dem rechten Ablauf zugetan—sprach ein Mantra in wohlklingendem Ton und erfreute alle durch seine Süße.

Word by Word

• उपविश्य: having sat down
• उपविश्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-विश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), उपसर्गः उप-, धातुः विश्; क्रिया-पूर्वकत्वे (having done)

• भुवः: of the earth
• भुवः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पृष्ठे: on the back/surface
• पृष्ठे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• सुस्वरम्: sweet-toned
• सुस्वरम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-स्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (सु + स्वरः = good-sounding)

• मन्त्रम्: mantra
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• उच्चरन्: pronouncing
• उच्चरन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-चर् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपसर्गः उद्-; धातुः चर् (उच्चरति = pronounces)

• क्रमप्रियः: fond of order/sequence
• क्रमप्रियः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रम + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्रमस्य प्रियः)

• महादेवः: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• महादेवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् देवः)

• माधुर्येण: with sweetness
• माधुर्येण: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माधुर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• प्रमोदयन्: delighting (others)
• प्रमोदयन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-मुद् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; धातुः मुद् (to rejoice), उपसर्गः प्र-; परस्मैपदी-भावः (causing delight)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha (general)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mahādeva sits directly on the earth at the riverbank, composed and orderly, chanting a mantra in a melodious voice that seems to ripple through the air and water, delighting unseen beings and nearby pilgrims.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Mantra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra recitation performed with discipline (krama) and purity becomes spiritually attractive and transformative to listeners.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Revā tīrtha context: the chapter frames mantra and dharma within the sacred geography of the Narmadā region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mantra-ucchāraṇa/japa is foregrounded as a devotional act, though the specific mantra is not named in this excerpt.