Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

देवदेव उवाच । एकश्चायं महाबाहुर्वासुकिर्भुजगोत्तमः । मम पार्श्वे वसेन्नित्यं सर्वेषां भयरक्षकः

Transliteration

devadeva uvāca | ekaścāyaṃ mahābāhurvāsukirbhujagottamaḥ | mama pārśve vasennityaṃ sarveṣāṃ bhayarakṣakaḥ

Translation

Le Seigneur des dieux dit : «Que Vāsuki, aux bras puissants, le meilleur des serpents, demeure toujours à mes côtés, protecteur de tous contre la peur.»

Word by Word

• devadeva: Devadeva (God of gods)
• devadeva: Kartā (Speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'देवानां देव'

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Predicate verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ekaḥ: one
• ekaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (ayaṃ/ vāsukiḥ)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/and)

• ayam: this (one)
• ayam: Kartā (Subject/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• mahā-bāhuḥ: mighty-armed
• mahā-bāhuḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bāhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: 'महान् बाहुः यस्य' (अर्थतः बहुव्रीहिसदृश-विशेषणप्रयोग), विशेषण (vāsukiḥ)

• vāsukiḥ: Vāsuki
• vāsukiḥ: Kartā (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsuki (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• bhujaga-uttamaḥ: best of serpents
• bhujaga-uttamaḥ: Kartā (Apposition/epithet)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhujaga (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारयार्थ: 'भुजगानाम् उत्तमः'

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pārśve: at (my) side
• pārśve: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• vaset: should dwell
• vaset: Kriyā (Injunctive/permission)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vas (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/संभावना), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb) — 'always'

• sarveṣām: of all
• sarveṣām: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• bhaya-rakṣakaḥ: protector from fear
• bhaya-rakṣakaḥ: Kartā (Predicate nominative/epithet)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + rakṣaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'भयस्य रक्षकः' / 'भयात् रक्षकः' (अर्थतः protector from fear)

Speaker

Śiva (Devadeva/Maheśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śiva-sannidhi in Revā-khaṇḍa (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva declares that Vāsuki, the mighty-armed best of serpents, shall dwell eternally at his side as the universal protector from fear.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Vāsuki
• Nāgas (serpents)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine proximity is portrayed as the highest security; the Lord appoints a foremost devotee/being as a channel of protection for others.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None explicitly; the verse is theological (Śiva’s protection) rather than geographical praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.