Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

श्रीकण्ठः सगणः सर्वभूतसङ्घैर्निषेवितः । अस्माद्गिरिवराद्भूप वक्ष्ये तीर्थस्य विस्तरम्

Transliteration

śrīkaṇṭhaḥ sagaṇaḥ sarvabhūtasaṅghairniṣevitaḥ | asmādgirivarādbhūpa vakṣye tīrthasya vistaram

Translation

Śrīkaṇṭha (Śiva), junto con sus gaṇas, es atendido por multitudes de seres. Oh Rey, desde esta excelsa montaña expondré la plena extensión del sagrado tīrtha.

Word by Word

• श्रीकण्ठः: Śrīkaṇṭha (Śiva)
• श्रीकण्ठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीकण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-संज्ञा (श्रीमान् कण्ठः यस्य) / रूढिनाम

• सगणः: with his attendants (gaṇas)
• सगणः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः ‘स-’ = ‘सहित’

• सर्वभूतसङ्घैः: by hosts of all beings
• सर्वभूतसङ्घैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + सङ्घ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वभूतानां सङ्घैः)

• निषेवितः: attended/served
• निषेवितः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-उपसर्ग + √सेव् (सेवने) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• अस्मात्: from this
• अस्मात्: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• गिरिवरात्: from the excellent mountain
• गिरिवरात्: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (वरः गिरिः)

• भूप: O king
• भूप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन

• वक्ष्ये: I shall tell
• वक्ष्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (वचने)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तीर्थस्य: of the tīrtha (holy place)
• तीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन

• विस्तरम्: the extent/detail
• विस्तरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

Speaker

Vāyu (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha-vistara (Narmadā tīrtha network) anchored at Amarakanṭaka

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (bhūpa addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva as Śrīkaṇṭha on a mountain ledge, surrounded by gaṇas and diverse beings; a sage-narrator gestures toward a map-like river course below, indicating forthcoming tīrtha descriptions; a king listens respectfully.

Characters & Entities

• Śrīkaṇṭha
• Śiva
• Gaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s greatness is inseparable from the living presence of Śiva and his divine retinue, making the landscape itself a field of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-region, introduced from the vantage of a “best of mountains” associated with Śiva’s presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse functions as a narrative preface to the detailed tīrtha-description that follows.