Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

अतिह्रस्वस्थूलसुदीर्घतम उपलब्धिर्न शक्यते ते ह्यमरैः । प्रणतोऽस्मि निरञ्जन ते चरणौ जय साम्ब सुलोचनकान्तिहर

Transliteration

atihrasvasthūlasudīrghatama upalabdhirna śakyate te hyamaraiḥ | praṇato'smi nirañjana te caraṇau jaya sāmba sulocanakāntihara

Translation

Selbst die Amaras vermögen dich nicht völlig zu erfassen—ob du überaus klein bist, grob, unermesslich weit oder das Höchste jenseits von allem. Ich verneige mich vor deinen makellosen Füßen. Sieg dir, Sāmba, du Schönäugiger Herr, der allen Glanz übertrifft und ihn gleichsam raubt.

Word by Word

• atihrasvasthūlasudīrghatama: (as) extremely short, gross, very long, and most extreme
• atihrasvasthūlasudīrghatama: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय) + hrasva (प्रातिपदिक) + sthūla (प्रातिपदिक) + su-dīrgha (प्रातिपदिक) + tama (प्रत्यय; superlative)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana; dvandva of qualities with intensifiers: 'very short, gross, very long, and most (extreme)' used adjectivally (elliptic: 'such as...')

• upalabdhiḥ: perception/attainment
• upalabdhiḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upalabdhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; niṣedha (negation particle)

• śakyate: is possible
• śakyate: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śak (शक्)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; karmavācya/ātmanepada-prayoga: 'is possible'

• te: of you / to you
• te: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी) or Caturthī (4th/चतुर्थी), Ekavacana; enclitic pronoun 'te' = 'your/to you' (context: 'of you' more likely)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; nipāta (emphasis/indeed)

• amaraiḥ: by the immortals (gods)
• amaraiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā (3rd/तृतीया), Bahuvacana

• praṇataḥ: bowed down
• praṇataḥ: Kartṛ-bhāva (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: praṇata (कृदन्त; √nam/नम् with pra-, kta)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana; used predicatively with 'asmi' = 'I am bowed'

• asmi: I am
• asmi: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस्)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Uttama-puruṣa (1st), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• nirañjana: O stainless one
• nirañjana: Sambodhana (Addressee)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nir-añjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana (8th/सम्बोधन), Ekavacana; 'stainless one'

• te: your
• te: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana; 'your'

• caraṇau: two feet
• caraṇau: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Dvivacana

• jaya: hail!
• jaya: Sambodhana (Vocative address marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: jaya (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: Avyaya; sambodhana-arthaka udgāra

• sāmba: O Śiva with Umā
• sāmba: Sambodhana (Addressee)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa-umayā (प्रातिपदिक; sāmba)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana (8th/सम्बोधन), Ekavacana; 'with Umā'

• sulocanakāntihara: O one who outshines the beauty of lovely eyes
• sulocanakāntihara: Sambodhana (Addressee)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su-locana (प्रातिपदिक) + kānti (प्रातिपदिक) + hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana (8th/सम्बोधन), Ekavacana; 'stealer/taker of the beauty of fair eyes' (i.e., surpassing them)

Speaker

A devotee/narratorial voice within Revā Khaṇḍa (stuti-context; precise speaker not stated in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (general)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A quiet riverside shrine at dusk; the devotee bows to Śiva’s feet while a vast, formless aura expands beyond the frame, suggesting minute-to-infinite transcendence; Śiva’s eyes are gentle and luminous.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Umā (Ambā)
• Amaras (Devas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse teaches humility: even gods cannot measure the Supreme; liberation begins with surrender to Śiva’s stainless feet.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

It belongs to the Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha milieu, where Śiva is praised as the inner lord of the sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal ritual is prescribed; praṇāma (prostration) and bhakti toward Śiva are foregrounded.