Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

अमृतः शाश्वतो देवः स्थाणुरीशः सनातनः । स पूजितः प्रार्थितो वा किं न दद्याद्द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

amṛtaḥ śāśvato devaḥ sthāṇurīśaḥ sanātanaḥ | sa pūjitaḥ prārthito vā kiṃ na dadyāddvijottamāḥ

Translation

The deathless, everlasting God—Sthāṇu, the Lord, the Eternal—when worshipped or even entreated, what would he not grant, O best of the twice-born?

Word by Word

• अमृतः: immortal
• अमृतः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘देवः’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• शाश्वतः: eternal
• शाश्वतः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शाश्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्थाणुः: Sthāṇu (the immovable one, Śiva)
• स्थाणुः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थाणु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; शिवनाम

• ईशः: Lord
• ईशः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सनातनः: primeval, everlasting
• सनातनः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पूजितः: (when) worshipped
• पूजितः: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पूज् (धातु) + क्त
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सः’ इत्यस्य विधेय

• प्रार्थितः: (when) entreated, requested
• प्रार्थितः: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√अर्थ्/अर्थय् (धातु) + क्त
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सः’ इत्यस्य विधेय

• वा: or
• वा: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्प (disjunctive particle)

• किम्: what? (why?)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative particle)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• दद्यात्: would give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज-उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; द्विज + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Revā Devī (Narmadā)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis / dvijottamāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotional tableau: sages addressed as 'dvijottamāḥ' listen while the speaker extols Śiva—Sthāṇu, eternal and deathless—radiant, still, and boon-giving.

Characters & Entities

• Sthāṇu (Śiva)
• Īśa (Śiva)
• Dvijottama (brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is depicted as supremely generous; worship and prayer are affirmed as efficacious paths to divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā region indirectly, by linking its imperishability and refuge to Śiva’s grace.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā (worship) and prārthanā (prayer) to Śiva are recommended as means to obtain boons.