Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

तृतीयश्चोद्वहो नाम चंद्रस्कंधे प्रतिष्ठितः । बद्धं ध्रुवेण येनेदं भ्राम्यते चंद्रमंडलम्

Transliteration

tṛtīyaścodvaho nāma caṃdraskaṃdhe pratiṣṭhitaḥ | baddhaṃ dhruveṇa yenedaṃ bhrāmyate caṃdramaṃḍalam

Translation

Der dritte heißt Udvaha und ist auf der Stütze des Mondes gegründet. Durch ihn, an Dhruva befestigt, kreist diese Mondsphäre in ihrer Bahn.

Word by Word

• tṛtīyaḥ: the third
• tṛtīyaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tṛtīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative singular; ordinal adjective)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• udvahaḥ: Udvaha (name of a wind/force)
• udvahaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udvaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative singular)

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (Apposition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: नामनिर्देशक अव्यय (namely particle)

• caṃdraskaṃdhe: in the lunar axis/support
• caṃdraskaṃdhe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdra (प्रातिपदिक) + skaṃdha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (Masculine, Locative singular)

• pratiṣṭhitaḥ: established/placed
• pratiṣṭhitaḥ: Karta (Predicate/State)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √sthā (स्था) (धातु) → pratiṣṭhita (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Masculine, Nominative singular; PPP)

• baddham: bound
• baddham: Karma (Object in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √bandh (बन्ध्) (धातु) → baddha (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Neuter singular; PPP)

• dhruveṇa: by Dhruva
• dhruveṇa: Karaṇa (Instrument/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental singular)

• yena: by which/whereby
• yena: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (Instrumental singular relative pronoun)

• idam: this
• idam: Karta (Subject of passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Neuter singular pronoun)

• bhrāmyate: revolves
• bhrāmyate: Kriyā (Action/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhram (भ्रम्) (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम् (Present indicative, 3rd person singular, ātmanepada)

• caṃdramaṇḍalam: the lunar orb
• caṃdramaṇḍalam: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdra (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc. singular)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Candra-maṇḍala (conceptual)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The moon’s orb resting on a cosmic support, tethered by Udvaha to Dhruva, turning in a serene nocturnal circuit.

Characters & Entities

• Udvaha
• Candra
• Dhruva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Moon’s orderly course is sustained by cosmic principles, pointing to a universe governed by stability (Dhruva) and divine regulation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is mentioned; the focus is celestial cosmology.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it explains Udvaha’s role in the Moon’s revolution around the Dhruva-pivot.