Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 108

Devanagari script

श्वपचोऽपि वरिष्ठः स शंभोः प्रियतरो भवेत् । शंभुनाधिष्ठितं सर्वं जगदेतच्चराचरम्

Transliteration

śvapaco'pi variṣṭhaḥ sa śaṃbhoḥ priyataro bhavet | śaṃbhunādhiṣṭhitaṃ sarvaṃ jagadetaccarācaram

Translation

Selbst ein Hundekocher (einer der Niedrigstgeborenen) wird, wenn er hingebungsvoll ist, der Beste und der Liebste Śambhus; denn diese ganze Welt, beweglich und unbeweglich, wird von Śambhu beherrscht und durchdrungen.

Word by Word

• श्वपचः: a dog-cooker (outcaste)
• श्वपचः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वपच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावन/अपि-कार-अव्यय (particle: ‘even/also’)

• वरिष्ठः: the best / superior
• वरिष्ठः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वरिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; ‘श्रेष्ठ’ इत्यर्थे)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; अतिशय-तमतम (superlative sense)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Pronoun, nominative singular

• शंभोः: of Śambhu (Śiva)
• शंभोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• प्रियतरः: dearer
• प्रियतरः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रियतर (प्रातिपदिक; ‘प्रिय’ तर्हि-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Comparative adjective, nominative singular

• भवेत्: may become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — may become

• शंभुना: by Śambhu
• शंभुना: Karana (Instrument/Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• अधिष्ठितम्: presided over / governed
• अधिष्ठितम्: Karta (Predicate adjective in passive construction)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधि+स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘presided over/inhabited’ (agreeing with ‘सर्वं जगत्’)

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; ‘जगत्’ इति विशेष्यस्य

• जगत्: the world
• जगत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Demonstrative adjective (agreeing with ‘जगत्’)

• चर-अचरम्: moving and unmoving
• चर-अचरम्: Karta (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चर (प्रातिपदिक) + अचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (चरं च अचरं च) समाहारार्थे नपुंसक-एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (context: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa discourse; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa narrating to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience in the frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A humble outcaste devotee offers bilva and water with intense devotion before Śiva; surrounding society looks on, then softens as Śiva’s all-pervading presence is revealed across creatures and stones.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to Śiva can elevate anyone beyond social stigma; Śiva pervades and sustains the whole cosmos.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to Kedārakhaṇḍa, tied to the Kedāra pilgrimage region and its Śaiva theology.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, cultivate sincere Śiva devotion and worship, which is valued over mere social identity.