Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

गंगा धृता येन शिरस्सुमध्ये चंद्रं च चूडे कृतवान्भयापहः । वेदाः पुराणानि तथागमाश्च तथैव नानाश्रुतयोऽथ शास्त्रम्

Transliteration

gaṃgā dhṛtā yena śirassumadhye caṃdraṃ ca cūḍe kṛtavānbhayāpahaḥ | vedāḥ purāṇāni tathāgamāśca tathaiva nānāśrutayo'tha śāstram

Translation

Er hielt die Gaṅgā mitten auf seinem Haupt und setzte den Mond auf seine Krone—Er, der die Furcht vertreibt. Die Veden, die Purāṇas, die Āgamas sowie die vielen heiligen Überlieferungen und Lehrschriften (alle verkünden Ihn).

Word by Word

• gaṅgā: Ganga
• gaṅgā: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• dhṛtā: held
• dhṛtā: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhṛ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि/PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘धृता’ = ‘held/borne’

• yena: by whom
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे ‘by whom’

• śiras: on the head
• śiras: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (वैकल्पिक रूप; ‘śirasi’ अर्थे)

• su-madhye: in the very middle
• su-madhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: su (अव्यय-उपसर्ग/उपपद) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; ‘in the very middle’

• candram: the moon
• candram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक निपात (conjunction)

• cūḍe: on the topknot/crest
• cūḍe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cūḍā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• kṛtavān: (he) placed / made
• kṛtavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + kta-vat (क्तवत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (कर्तरि क्तवत्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having placed/made’

• bhaya-apahaḥ: remover of fear
• bhaya-apahaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + apaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः: ‘भयम् अपहन्ति’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• vedāḥ: the Vedas
• vedāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• purāṇāni: the Purāṇas
• purāṇāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• āgamāḥ: Āgamas
• āgamāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक निपात (conjunction)

• tathā-eva: just so / likewise indeed
• tathā-eva: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय) + eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययसमूह; अव्यय (adverb + emphatic particle)

• nānā-śrutayaḥ: various śrutis/traditions
• nānā-śrutayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nānā (अव्यय) + śruti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• atha: and also
• atha: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: ‘and then/also’)

• śāstram: the treatise/śāstra
• śāstram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāstra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa Sūta (deduced: praise/narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedārakṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva seated in हिमालय, jaṭā-mukuṭa holding the descending Gaṅgā, crescent moon shining on the crest; sages with palm-leaf manuscripts (Veda, Purāṇa, Āgama) praising Him; aura of protection (abhaya).

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Gaṅgā
• Candra (Moon)
• Vedas
• Purāṇas
• Āgamas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is the bhayāpaha (remover of fear), upheld by all streams of revelation—Veda, Purāṇa, and Āgama—uniting scripture and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Kedārakhaṇḍa, the imagery of Gaṅgā and the Moon on Śiva underscores the wider sacred geography of Himalayan Śaiva pilgrimage associated with Kedāra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated.