Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

तपतस्तस्य देवस्य शूलाग्राद्बिन्दवोऽपतन् । तेनैषा शोणसंज्ञा तु दश सप्त च ताः स्मृताः

Transliteration

tapatastasya devasya śūlāgrādbindavo'patan | tenaiṣā śoṇasaṃjñā tu daśa sapta ca tāḥ smṛtāḥ

Translation

Als jener Gott Askese (tapas) übte, fielen Tropfen von der Spitze seines Dreizacks. Darum trägt sie den Namen «Śoṇā»; und jener Tropfen gedenkt man als siebzehn.

Word by Word

• तपतः: of (him) who was blazing/doing tapas
• तपतः: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (शतृ-प्रत्यय, वर्तमानकाले कर्तरि present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन (of the heating/performing austerity one)

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• देवस्य: of the god
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• शूलाग्रात्: from the tip of the trident
• शूलाग्रात्: Apadana (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शूलस्य अग्रं = tip of the trident)

• बिन्दवः: drops
• बिन्दवः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• अपतन्: fell
• अपतन्: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तेन: thereby
• तेन: Hetu (Cause marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय; तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण हेत्वर्थे (thereby/therefore)

• एषा: this (she)
• एषा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• शोणसंज्ञा: named ‘Śoṇa’
• शोणसंज्ञा: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोण (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शोणस्य संज्ञा यस्याः = having the name ‘Śoṇa’)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• दश: ten
• दश: Viśeṣaṇa (Numeral qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (numeral used indeclinably)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Numeral qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (numeral used indeclinably)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• ताः: those (drops)
• ताः: Karta (Subject of smṛtāḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• स्मृताः: are remembered/considered
• स्मृताः: Kriyā (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, PPP); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; “are remembered/are said”

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śoṇā (epithet linked here to Revā/Narmadā)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva in intense austerity, radiant heat around him; from the tip of his trident fall distinct droplets that become sacred markers; the river-goddess is associated with a reddish sheen (śoṇa) in the water or aura.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (deva)
• Trident (Śūla)
• Narmadā/Revā (Śoṇā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic myth ties sacred nature to divine tapas; the river’s holiness is grounded in Śiva’s ascetic power and symbols.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā/Revā is glorified via her epithet ‘Śoṇā’, linking her sanctity to Śiva’s śūla (trident).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the verse gives an origin-account and a traditional numerical detail (seventeen drops).