Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

सा तस्य दंष्ट्राग्रविलम्बिताङ्गी कैलासशृङ्गाग्रगतेव ज्योत्स्ना । विभ्राजते साप्यसमानमूर्तिः शशाङ्कशृङ्गे च तडिद्विलग्ना

Transliteration

sā tasya daṃṣṭrāgravilambitāṅgī kailāsaśṛṅgāgragateva jyotsnā | vibhrājate sāpyasamānamūrtiḥ śaśāṅkaśṛṅge ca taḍidvilagnā

Translation

Am Ende Seines Hauers hängend, erstrahlte sie, die Erde—wie Mondlicht, das auf dem Gipfel des Kailāsa ruht. Jene Erde von unvergleichlicher Gestalt leuchtete auch wie ein Blitz, der am Horn des Mondes haftet.

Word by Word

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• daṃṣṭrāgra-vilambita-aṅgī: whose limbs were hanging from the tip of (his) tusk
• daṃṣṭrāgra-vilambita-aṅgī: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daṃṣṭrā (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक) + vilambita (कृदन्त; √lamb (लम्ब्) + vi-, क्त) + aṅgī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—दंष्ट्राग्रे विलम्बितानि अङ्गानि यस्याः (locative/genitive-tatpurusha sense)

• kailāsa-śṛṅga-agra-gatā: gone to the peak-tip of Kailāsa
• kailāsa-śṛṅga-agra-gatā: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kailāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + śṛṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (कृदन्त; √gam (गम्), क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कैलासस्य शृङ्गस्य अग्रे गता

• iva: as if/like
• iva: Upamana-marker (Simile/उपमा-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्यय (comparative particle)

• jyotsnā: moonlight
• jyotsnā: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jyotsnā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vibhrājate: shines forth
• vibhrājate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhrāj (भ्राज्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• asamāna-mūrtiḥ: (she) of unmatched form
• asamāna-mūrtiḥ: Visheshya (Apposition/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a- (नञ्) + samāna (प्रातिपदिक) + mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—असमानā मूर्तिः (unequal/peerless form)

• śaśāṅka-śṛṅge: on the moon’s horn/peak
• śaśāṅka-śṛṅge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaśāṅka (प्रातिपदिक) + śṛṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समासः—शशाङ्कस्य शृङ्गे

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• taḍit-vilagnā: clinging like lightning
• taḍit-vilagnā: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: taḍit (प्रातिपदिक) + vilagnā (कृदन्त; √lag (लग्) + vi-, क्त, स्त्री)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तडिति विलग्ना

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) [deduced]

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Varāha’s tusk-tip holds the Earth aloft; the Earth gleams like moonlight on Kailāsa’s summit and like lightning on the Moon’s horn—two luminous similes framing the rescue.

Characters & Entities

• Earth (Bhūmi)
• Kailāsa
• Moon (Śaśāṅka)
• Varāha (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The restored world shines by the Lord’s support; divine rescue is not only power but also auspicious beauty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kailāsa is referenced as a sacred cosmic mountain in a simile; the verse itself is not a tīrtha-instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a devotional eulogy through sacred imagery.