Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

पावनाय जगद्धेतोः स्थितो यस्माच्छशिप्रभः । अतस्तु नृपशार्दूल श्वेत इत्याभिधीयते

Transliteration

pāvanāya jagaddhetoḥ sthito yasmācchaśiprabhaḥ | atastu nṛpaśārdūla śveta ityābhidhīyate

Translation

Weil er zur Läuterung—des Herrn, der Ursache der Welt—dort verweilt, im mondgleichen Glanz erstrahlend, darum, o Tiger unter den Königen, wird er «Śveta» (der Weiße) genannt.

Word by Word

• पावनाय: for purification
• पावनाय: Sampradāna (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (neuter, dative, singular); प्रयोजनार्थे (for purification)

• जगत्: world
• जगत्: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्; समासाङ्गत्वेन (as compound member)

• हेतोः: of the cause
• हेतोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hetu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (masculine, genitive, singular)

• स्थितः: stood/abided
• स्थितः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः; पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (past participle; masc. nom. sg.)

• यस्मात्: from which/because
• यस्मात्: Apādāna (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (ablative singular); कारणार्थे (from which/because)

• शशि: moon
• शशि: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaśin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्; समासाङ्गत्वेन (as compound member)

• प्रभः: moon-radiant
• प्रभः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (masc. nom. sg.); ‘having radiance’

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Sambandha (Logical connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; हेत्वर्थक-अव्ययम् (therefore)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः (indeed)

• नृपशार्दूल: O tiger among kings
• नृपशार्दूल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa + śārdūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन-प्रथमा एकवचनम् (vocative singular); कर्मधारयः: नृपः एव शार्दूलः (O tiger among kings)

• श्वेतः: Śveta (the White one)
• श्वेतः: Karma (Name/appellation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śveta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (masc. nom. sg.); नामरूपेण

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; उद्धरण-निपातः (quotative)

• आभिधीयते: is called
• आभिधीयते: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√dhā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (present); प्रथमपुरुषः एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive sense: ‘is called’)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator addressing a king (contextual listener: nṛpaśārdūla)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śveta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpaśārdūla (king, unnamed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene shrine bathed in cool moonlight; the deity-form (or liṅga) appears white-luminous, calming the surroundings; a king addressed as ‘nṛpaśārdūla’ listens reverently.

Characters & Entities

• Śveta
• Nṛpaśārdūla (king)
• Jagat-hetu (Lord as world-cause)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine presence purifies; the very ‘name’ of a sacred manifestation encodes its spiritual function and blessing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A manifestation renowned as ‘Śveta’ within the Narmadā northern-bank circuit described in this chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the emphasis is on purification through proximity and darśana of the moon-radiant presence.