Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

अनेकबाहूरुधरं नैकवक्त्रं मनोरमम् । सुप्तमेकार्णवे वीरं सहस्राक्षशिरोधरम्

Transliteration

anekabāhūrudharaṃ naikavaktraṃ manoramam | suptamekārṇave vīraṃ sahasrākṣaśirodharam

Translation

Ich erblicke den heldenhaften Herrn, schlafend im einen kosmischen Ozean—wonnevoll anzuschauen, mit vielen Armen und mächtigen Schenkeln, mit vielen Antlitzen, gekrönt mit tausend Augen und Häuptern.

Word by Word

• अनेक-बाहु-ऊरु-धरम्: having many arms and thighs
• अनेक-बाहु-ऊरु-धरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक) + बाहु (प्रातिपदिक) + ऊरु (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (अनेकाः बाहवः ऊरवश्च यस्य), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• न-एक-वक्त्रम्: not having a single face (many-faced)
• न-एक-वक्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: न (अव्यय) + एक (प्रातिपदिक) + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्-तत्पुरुष (न एकं वक्त्रं यस्य), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग विशेषण, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• मनोरमम्: charming
• मनोरमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनोरम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग विशेषण, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• सुप्तम्: asleep
• सुप्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्वप् (धातु) → सुप्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular; ‘asleep’

• एक-अर्णवे: in the single ocean (primeval ocean)
• एक-अर्णवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• वीरम्: the hero
• वीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• सहस्र-अक्ष-शिरो-धरम्: bearing a thousand eyes and heads
• सहस्र-अक्ष-शिरो-धरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (सहस्राणि अक्षाणि शिरांसि च यस्य/धारयति), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (within Revā Khaṇḍa context; likely a ṛṣi/narrator describing a vision)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic cosmic tableau: endless dark waters; the Lord asleep in yogic repose, yet ‘heroic’; multiple arms and faces; a crown-like expanse of eyes and heads suggesting viśvarūpa.

Characters & Entities

• Īśāna
• Śaṅkara (implied in the surrounding passage)
• Ekārṇava (cosmic ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even in cosmic dissolution, the Supreme Lord remains present—vast, many-formed, and worthy of contemplative remembrance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as a cosmic-theological backdrop within the Revā Khaṇḍa; the broader section is tied to the sanctity of the Revā (Narmadā) region rather than naming a single tirtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual instruction appears in this verse; it is primarily a darśana (vision) description.