Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

ध्रुव उवाच । कैलासतुंगशिखरं प्रविकम्प्यमानं कैलासशृंगसदृशेन दशाननेन । यः पादपद्मपरिपीडनया दधार तं शंकरं शरणदं शरणं व्रजामि

Transliteration

dhruva uvāca | kailāsatuṃgaśikharaṃ pravikampyamānaṃ kailāsaśṛṃgasadṛśena daśānanena | yaḥ pādapadmaparipīḍanayā dadhāra taṃ śaṃkaraṃ śaraṇadaṃ śaraṇaṃ vrajāmi

Translation

Dhruva sprach: Als der erhabene Gipfel des Kailāsa vom Zehnantlitzigen, einem Bergkamm gleich, zum Beben gebracht wurde, hielt Ihn der Druck seines lotosgleichen Fußes nieder—zu jenem Śaṅkara, dem Spender des Schutzes, nehme ich Zuflucht.

Word by Word

• ध्रुवः: Dhruva
• ध्रुवः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम् (Perfect, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

• कैलासतुंगशिखरम्: the lofty peak of Kailāsa
• कैलासतुंगशिखरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैलास + तुङ्ग + शिखर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; (कैलासस्य तुङ्गं शिखरम्) (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• प्रविकम्प्यमानम्: trembling, being shaken
• प्रविकम्प्यमानम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + वि + कम्प् (धातु) → विकम्प्यमान (कृदन्त; शानच्)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि/कर्तरि कृदन्तः (शानच्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; trembling)

• कैलासशृंगसदृशेन: resembling Kailāsa’s peak
• कैलासशृंगसदृशेन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कैलास + शृंग + सदृश (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (like the peak of Kailāsa) (Instrumental, Singular)

• दशाननेन: by the ten-faced one (Rāvaṇa)
• दशाननेन: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशानन (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘दश आननानि यस्य’ (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रयोगः (Masculine, Nominative, Singular; who)

• पादपद्मपरिपीडनया: by the pressing of (his) lotus-feet
• पादपद्मपरिपीडनया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद + पद्म + परि + पीडन (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; (पादपद्मस्य परिपीडनया) (Feminine, Instrumental, Singular)

• दधार: held, supported
• दधार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम् (Perfect, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• शंकरम्: Śaṅkara
• शंकरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• शरणदम्: giver of refuge
• शरणदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शरण + द (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘शरणं ददाति’ (Masculine, Accusative, Singular; adjective of शंकरम्)

• शरणम्: for refuge
• शरणम्: Gati/Karma (Goal/गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (as goal) (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• व्रजामि: I go, I take refuge
• व्रजामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम् (Present, 1st person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

Speaker

Dhruva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual) with Kailāsa as mythic reference

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāvaṇa, ten-faced and mountain-like, shakes Kailāsa; Śiva calmly presses the peak with a lotus-foot, stilling the tremor; Dhruva (as devotee-voice) offers refuge-prayer.

Characters & Entities

• Dhruva
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Kailāsa
• Daśānana (Rāvaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is the ultimate refuge who subdues arrogance and protects the worlds; surrender (śaraṇāgati) is praised as the devotee’s path.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

While the stotra is recited in the Prabhāsa context, this verse invokes Kailāsa as Śiva’s cosmic abode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Stotra-bhakti: taking refuge in Śaṅkara through repeated devotional proclamation (‘śaraṇaṃ vrajāmi’).