Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

गिरिं विव्याध शूलेन भिन्नं तेन रसातलम् । निर्मलं चाभवच्छूलं न लेपो दृश्यते क्वचित्

Transliteration

giriṃ vivyādha śūlena bhinnaṃ tena rasātalam | nirmalaṃ cābhavacchūlaṃ na lepo dṛśyate kvacit

Translation

Mit seinem Dreizack durchbohrte er den Berg und spaltete ihn bis hinab nach Rasātala. Doch der Dreizack blieb makellos rein—nirgends war irgendein Fleck der Befleckung zu sehen.

Word by Word

• गिरिम्: mountain
• गिरिम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• विव्याध: pierced
• विव्याध: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-व्यध्/व्यध् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; धातु: व्यध् (to pierce) with वि-

• शूलेन: with the trident/spear
• शूलेन: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instr. sg.)

• भिन्नम्: split, pierced through
• भिन्नम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिद् (धातु) → भिन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; रसातलम् विशेषण

• तेन: by that (trident)
• तेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/anaphoric)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instr. sg.); ‘by that/with it’ (referring to śūla)

• रसातलम्: Rasātala (netherworld)
• रसातलम्: Karma (Object/extent reached)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रसातल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• निर्मलम्: spotless, pure
• निर्मलम्: Karta-pravṛtti-viśeṣaṇa (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; शूलम् विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शूलम्: the trident
• शूलम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• लेपः: stain/smear
• लेपः: Karta (Subject of passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लेप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• दृश्यते: is seen/appears
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense): ‘is seen’

• क्वचित्: anywhere
• क्वचित्: Adhikaraṇa (locative adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), ‘anywhere/ever’

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhṛgu-parvata / Śūla-bheda-sthāna (implied)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva thrusts his trident into a mountain; the rock splits downward into the netherworlds. Despite the violent act, the trident gleams immaculate, without a speck—an awe-inspiring miracle witnessed by devas.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva’s Śūla (Trident)
• Rasātala
• Mountain (Giri)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine action is intrinsically pure: Śiva’s power can transform worlds without accruing impurity—an emblem of transcendent purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śūlabheda (“the trident-cleft/piercing”)—the tīrtha whose sanctity is grounded in this trident-miracle.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription here; it provides the foundational miracle that authorizes later snāna and tīrtha practices.