Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

एवं हि शेते भगवान्सत्त्वस्थः प्रलये सदा । सत्त्वरूपो महादेवो यदाधारे जगत्स्थितम्

Transliteration

evaṃ hi śete bhagavānsattvasthaḥ pralaye sadā | sattvarūpo mahādevo yadādhāre jagatsthitam

Translation

So ist es wahrlich: Zur Zeit der Auflösung ruht der selige Herr stets im Zustand des Sattva. Jener Mahādeva, dessen Gestalt Sattva ist, ist die Stütze, auf der das Weltall besteht.

Word by Word

• evaṃ: thus
• evaṃ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evaṃ (एवम् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (हि अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ

• śete: lies, rests
• śete: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śī (शी धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• bhagavān: the Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (भगवत् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sattva-sthaḥ: abiding in sattva
• sattva-sthaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sattva (सत्त्व) + stha (स्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘सत्त्वे स्थितः’

• pralaye: in dissolution
• pralaye: Adhikaraṇa (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pralaya (प्रलय प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (सदा अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय

• sattva-rūpaḥ: of sattva-form
• sattva-rūpaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sattva (सत्त्व) + rūpa (रूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘सत्त्वं रूपं यस्य’ (sattva as form)

• mahādevaḥ: Mahādeva
• mahādevaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (महा) + deva (देव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘महान् देवः’

• yad: in which/whose
• yad: Adhikaraṇa (Relative link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• ādhāre: in the support
• ādhāre: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādhāra (आधार प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘in the support’

• jagat: the world
• jagat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (जगत् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sthitam: situated, established
• sthitam: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्ता-समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘is situated’ (agreeing with jagat)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: Mahādeva in yogic repose during pralaya, the universe withdrawn; subtle symbols of sattva—white radiance, calm waters, and a faint lotus of creation potential.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān
• Mahādeva
• Pralaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Beyond cosmic change stands the divine support; purity (sattva) is portrayed as the stabilizing principle at dissolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly the Revā/Narmadā context, where cosmological truths are taught as part of the river’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a doctrinal/cosmological statement.