Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

शङ्खचक्रगदापाणिं शयानं दक्षिणेन तु । अक्षसूत्रोद्यतकरं सूर्यायुतसमप्रभम्

Transliteration

śaṅkhacakragadāpāṇiṃ śayānaṃ dakṣiṇena tu | akṣasūtrodyatakaraṃ sūryāyutasamaprabham

Translation

Liegend, mit Muschel, Diskus und Keule in den Händen; und zur Rechten eine erhobene Hand mit der Gebetskette. Er strahlte im Glanz von zehntausend Sonnen.

Word by Word

• शङ्खचक्रगदापाणिम्: having hands bearing conch, discus, and mace
• शङ्खचक्रगदापाणिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शङ्ख (प्रातिपदिक) + चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + गदा (प्रातिपदिक) + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (शङ्ख-चक्र-गदा-धारी पाणिः यस्य)

• शयानम्: lying down
• शयानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शी (धातु) + शानच्/शतृ (कृदन्त; वर्तमानकाले)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्तः—वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle)

• दक्षिणेन: on the right side / by the right
• दक्षिणेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (दक्षिणम्), तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे—‘दक्षिणेन’ = ‘दक्षिणपार्श्वेन’

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/पदपूरण (particle)

• अक्षसूत्र: rosary (string of beads)
• अक्षसूत्र: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + सूत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासपद); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अक्षाणां सूत्रम्)

• उद्यतकरम्: with raised hand
• उद्यतकरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्यत (उद्+यम्-धातु, क्त; कृदन्त) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (उद्यतः करः यस्य)

• सूर्यायुतसमप्रभम्: having radiance equal to ten-thousand suns
• सूर्यायुतसमप्रभम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अयुत (प्रातिपदिक) + सम (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सूर्याणाम् अयुतेन समा प्रभा यस्य)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Reclining Puruṣottama with conch, discus, and mace; an additional right-side raised hand holding a rosary; aura blazing like ten thousand suns, filling the chamber.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkha
• Cakra
• Gadā
• Akṣasūtra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord unites protection (weapons) with inner discipline (rosary), teaching that dharma is upheld by both righteous power and steady remembrance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tirtha is specified in this verse; it supports the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred narrative world connected to the Revā (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, akṣasūtra points to japa (mantra repetition) as a dharmic practice, though no explicit vow or rule is stated here.