Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

सा बभूव महाराज सावित्रीति प्रथा शिवा । असुराणां वधार्थाय ज्ञानजा स्थापिता सुरैः

Transliteration

sā babhūva mahārāja sāvitrīti prathā śivā | asurāṇāṃ vadhārthāya jñānajā sthāpitā suraiḥ

Translation

O großer König, jene glückverheißende Göttin wurde als „Sāvitrī“ berühmt. Aus heiligem Wissen geboren, wurde sie von den Göttern eingesetzt, um die Asuras zu erschlagen.

Word by Word

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā+rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—महान् राजा

• सावित्री: Sāvitrī
• सावित्री: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāvitrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• प्रथा: fame/renown
• प्रथा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• शिवा: auspicious
• शिवा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śivā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier of सा/प्रथा)

• असुराणाम्: of the demons
• असुराणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• वधार्थाय: for the purpose of killing
• वधार्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vadha+artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—वधस्य अर्थः (for the purpose of slaying)

• ज्ञानजा: born of knowledge
• ज्ञानजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jñāna+ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—ज्ञानात् जाता (born of knowledge)

• स्थापिता: was established
• स्थापिता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthāpita (कृदन्त; √sthā/√sthāp स्थाप् caus.)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) — ‘was established/placed’ (passive sense)

• सुरैः: by the gods
• सुरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

Speaker

Deductive (Dharmāraṇya narrative frame): Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: mahārāja (king addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant goddess—Sāvitrī—emerges as a personification of sacred knowledge, then is ritually installed by the gods, poised for the destruction of asuras.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī
• Devas
• Asuras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power arises from jñāna (sacred wisdom) and is established to remove adharma embodied by asuric forces.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, where protective Śakti-forms are installed as part of the site’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse narrates consecration/establishment (sthāpana) of the goddess by the devas.