Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

देवसैन्याधिपो जातः सर्वशत्रुनिबर्हणः । उग्रतेजा महात्मासौ संजातस्तीर्थसेवनात्

Transliteration

devasainyādhipo jātaḥ sarvaśatrunibarhaṇaḥ | ugratejā mahātmāsau saṃjātastīrthasevanāt

Translation

He became the commander of the gods’ army, the destroyer of all enemies. That great soul, blazing with fierce splendor, arose through service to the sacred tīrtha.

Word by Word

• देवसैन्याधिपः: commander of the divine army
• देवसैन्याधिपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + सैन्य + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• जातः: was born; became
• जातः: Kriya (Predicate state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• सर्वशत्रुनिबर्हणः: destroyer of all enemies
• सर्वशत्रुनिबर्हणः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + शत्रु + निबर्हण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); उपपद-तत्पुरुष (object-relation: 'शत्रून् निबर्हति')

• उग्रतेजाः: of fierce splendor
• उग्रतेजाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण of 'असौ' (he)

• महात्मा: great-souled one
• महात्मा: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महन् + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• असौ: he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• संजातः: arose; came to be
• संजातः: Kriya (Predicate state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + जन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• तीर्थसेवनात्: from (the act of) serving/visiting the sacred place
• तीर्थसेवनात्: Apadana (Source/cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + सेवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (context: Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kumāreśvara tīrtha (Narmadā-taṭa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Narādhipa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant hero figure is invested as Devasenāpati; gods assemble; Skanda’s martial insignia (vel, peacock banner) appears; the Narmadā tīrtha glows in the background, implying the source of empowerment.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda/Kumāra (implied as devasainyādhipa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and reverent service to a tīrtha are depicted as sources of divine strength and auspicious transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Revā (Narmadā) region tīrtha is implied; the name is clarified in the immediate context of Adhyāya 63.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrtha-sevā—reverent visiting, serving, and engaging in prescribed acts at the sacred place.