Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

आरुह्य पृष्ठे मे देव शीघ्रमेव हि गम्यताम् । आरुह्य वृषभं देवो जगाम चोमया सह

Transliteration

āruhya pṛṣṭhe me deva śīghrameva hi gamyatām | āruhya vṛṣabhaṃ devo jagāma comayā saha

Translation

„Steig auf meinen Rücken, o Deva — lass uns sogleich, ohne Zögern, aufbrechen.“ Da bestieg der Deva Vṛṣabha und zog mit Umā davon.

Word by Word

• आरुह्य: having mounted
• आरुह्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-रुह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय — ‘having mounted’

• पृष्ठे: on (my) back
• पृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative singular

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक) — Genitive singular ‘of me/my’

• देव: O god
• देव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Vocative singular

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण — adverb ‘quickly’

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis) — particle ‘indeed/just’

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ-निपात — particle ‘for/indeed’

• गम्यताम्: please go / let (us) proceed
• गम्यताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/आज्ञार्थे (passive imperative) — ‘let (it) be gone / please go’

• आरुह्य: having mounted
• आरुह्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-रुह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय — ‘having mounted’

• वृषभम्: the bull
• वृषभम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Accusative singular

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• जगाम: went
• जगाम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — perfect 3rd sg ‘went’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक — conjunction ‘and’

• उमया: with Umā
• उमया: Sahakaraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Instrumental singular ‘with Umā’

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakaraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक-उपपद — postposition ‘with’ (governs instrumental)

Speaker

Vṛṣabha (direct speech), within Sūta’s narration

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nandin offers his back; Śiva mounts swiftly with Umā; the trio surges forward, suggesting immediate departure under threat.

Characters & Entities

• Deva (Śiva/Maheśvara)
• Vṛṣabha (Nandin/Bull)
• Umā (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service (sevā) becomes sacred when it carries the Lord and the Goddess—devotion expresses itself through swift, fearless support of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; the verse is part of the Revā Khaṇḍa’s Shaiva narrative stream associated with the Revā/Narmadā sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.