Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

पुण्या देवाशिला नाम तस्या माहात्म्यमुत्तमम् । एतदाख्याहि मे सर्वं प्रसन्नो यदि शङ्कर

Transliteration

puṇyā devāśilā nāma tasyā māhātmyamuttamam | etadākhyāhi me sarvaṃ prasanno yadi śaṅkara

Translation

Es gibt einen heiligen Ort namens Puṇyā, bekannt als Devāśilā—seine Herrlichkeit ist erhaben. Berichte mir dies alles, o Śaṅkara, wenn es dir wohlgefällig ist.

Word by Word

• पुण्या: holy, meritorious
• पुण्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• देवाशिला: (the) divine rock/stone
• देवाशिला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + शिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानां शिला)

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-प्रयोगे (quotative particle: “by name/indeed called”)

• तस्या: of it/of her
• तस्या: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• माहात्म्यम्: greatness, sacred glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; विधेय (predicate noun)

• उत्तमम्: excellent, supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying माहात्म्यम्)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• आख्याहि: tell, narrate
• आख्याहि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ख्या (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मे: to me / for me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन (Gen./Dat. sg.; enclitic)

• सर्वम्: all, entirely
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying एतत्/विवक्षितं सर्वं)

• प्रसन्नः: gracious, pleased
• प्रसन्नः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रसन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (addressing Śaṅkara)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक-समुच्चय (conditional particle)

• शङ्कर: O Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शङ्कर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Uttānapāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devāśilā (Puṇyā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaṅkara is addressed; the petitioner (likely a king/ṛṣi) requests narration

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee/king petitions Śaṅkara to narrate the supreme greatness of the sacred place Devāśilā called Puṇyā; the moment is intimate, reverent, and anticipatory.

Characters & Entities

• Uttānapāda
• Devāśilā
• Puṇyā
• Śaṅkara
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Māhātmya is received through humble inquiry; sacred places are approached by devotion and a desire to hear divine history.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Devāśilā (also called Puṇyā) is explicitly named as the praised sacred locus within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite here; the verse requests the full account that typically supports later prescriptions like snāna and tīrtha-sevā.