Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

पुरा वृषस्थो देवेश ह्युमया सह शङ्करः । कदाचित्पर्यटन्पृथिवीं नर्मदातटमाश्रितः

Transliteration

purā vṛṣastho deveśa hyumayā saha śaṅkaraḥ | kadācitparyaṭanpṛthivīṃ narmadātaṭamāśritaḥ

Translation

In alter Zeit wanderte Śaṅkara, der Herr der Götter, auf dem Stier sitzend und von Umā begleitet, über die Erde und nahm einst am Ufer der Narmadā Rast.

Word by Word

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time: formerly)

• वृषस्थः: seated on the bull (Nandin)
• वृषस्थः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृष (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (वृषे स्थितः = seated on the bull)

• देवेशः: Lord of the gods
• देवेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानाम् ईशः)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: indeed)

• उमया: with Umā
• उमया: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अव्यय (preposition-like indeclinable: with)

• शङ्करः: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शङ्करः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कदाचित्: once
• कदाचित्: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: at some time/once)

• पर्यटन्: wandering about
• पर्यटन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + अट् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘wandering’

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

• नर्मदातटम्: the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदातटम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक) + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नर्मदायाः तटम्)

• आश्रितः: having taken refuge at / having reached
• आश्रितः: Kriya (Resultant state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past active/PPP in sense ‘having resorted to’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-taṭa (Narmadā bank)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śaṅkara, seated upon Vṛṣabha (Nandin), accompanied by Umā, wanders the earth and rests on the bank of the Narmadā.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Umā (Pārvatī)
• Narmadā (Revā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of a region is affirmed by divine presence; the gods themselves honor and traverse sacred landscapes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Narmadā (Revā) bank, the broader sacred zone in which Daśāśvamedhika is situated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it establishes the narrative setting for the tīrtha’s glorification.