Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

प्रत्यक्षः प्रददौ तेभ्यस्त्वभीष्टं वरमुत्तमम् । ततः स्वनाम्ना संस्थाप्य वसवस्तं महेश्वरम् । जग्मुराकाशमाविश्य प्रसन्ने सति शङ्करे

Transliteration

pratyakṣaḥ pradadau tebhyastvabhīṣṭaṃ varamuttamam | tataḥ svanāmnā saṃsthāpya vasavastaṃ maheśvaram | jagmurākāśamāviśya prasanne sati śaṅkare

Translation

Sichtbar vor ihnen erschien er und gewährte ihnen die erhabene Gabe, die sie begehrten. Dann errichteten die Vasus jenen Maheśvara unter ihrem eigenen Namen; und als Śaṅkara zufrieden war, zogen sie fort und gingen in den Himmel ein.

Word by Word

• pratyakṣaḥ: manifest, visible
• pratyakṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratyakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• pradadau: gave
• pradadau: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-dā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्

• tebhyaḥ: to them
• tebhyaḥ: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे/नपुंसके तृतीया? (न), चतुर्थी बहुवचनम् (Dative plural)

• tu: indeed, and
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः (emphatic/contrast)

• abhīṣṭam: desired
• abhīṣṭam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhīṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः; नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• varam: boon
• varam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्

• uttamam: excellent, best
• uttamam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Anantara-kāla (अनन्तरकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम् (thereafter)

• sva-nāmnā: by their own name
• sva-nāmnā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम् (Instrumental: 'by/with their own name')

• saṃsthāpya: having established
• saṃsthāpya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-sthā (धातु) → saṃsthāpya
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तः (absolutive/gerund)

• vasavaḥ: the Vasus
• vasavaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्

• maheśvaram: Mahēśvara (Śiva)
• maheśvaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः; पुल्लिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्

• jagmuḥ: went
• jagmuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः बहुवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्

• ākāśam: to the sky
• ākāśam: Gati-karma (गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्

• āviśya: having entered
• āviśya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-viś (धातु) → āviśya
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तः (absolutive/gerund)

• prasanne: when (he was) pleased
• prasanne: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prasanna (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः; पुल्लिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम् (locative)

• sati: while being, when
• sati: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: as (धातु) → sat (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-तत्कालिके सति-सप्तमी; पुल्लिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम्

• śaṅkare: in/when Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṅkare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम्

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vāsava (Vāsava-Maheśvara)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra / Mahārāja

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva appears manifest before the Vasus, grants their desired boon, and the Vasus consecrate a Maheśvara-liṅga bearing their name; afterward they ascend into the sky.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Maheśvara/Śaṅkara)
• Vasus
• Vāsava (name/epithet)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When devotion ripens, Śiva responds directly; establishing a Śiva-presence (pratiṣṭhā) turns a place into enduring sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vāsava-associated Śiva site established by the Vasus, forming the core of Vāsava-tīrtha’s sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva-pratiṣṭhā (installation/establishment) by naming and consecrating Maheśvara, implying worship at the installed form.