Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

भैरवं चैव केदारं तथा रुद्रं महालयम् । नन्दाह्रदश्चतुर्थः स्यात्पञ्चमं भुवि दुर्लभम्

Transliteration

bhairavaṃ caiva kedāraṃ tathā rudraṃ mahālayam | nandāhradaścaturthaḥ syātpañcamaṃ bhuvi durlabham

Translation

Bhairava, Kedāra, Rudra et Mahālaya sont proclamés comme des lieux saints éminents ; Nandā-hrada est dit être le quatrième, tandis que le cinquième est rare à obtenir sur la terre.

Word by Word

• भैरवम्: Bhairava (shrine/linga)
• भैरवम्: कर्म (Object - enumerated item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: सम्बन्ध (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• केदारम्: Kedāra
• केदारम्: कर्म (Object - enumerated item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केदार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: सम्बन्ध (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• रुद्रम्: Rudra
• रुद्रम्: कर्म (Object - enumerated item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• महालयम्: the great abode (Mahālaya)
• महालयम्: कर्म (Object - enumerated item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास: ‘महान् आलयः’; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• नन्दाह्रदः: Nandā’s lake
• नन्दाह्रदः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दा + ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘नन्दायाः ह्रदः’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• चतुर्थः: the fourth
• चतुर्थः: कर्तृ-विशेषण (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषणम्

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: क्रिया (Copula)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• पञ्चमम्: the fifth (one)
• पञ्चमम्: कर्म (Object - implied)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषणम् (अध्याहृतं ‘तीर्थम्’)

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• दुर्लभम्: hard to obtain; rare
• दुर्लभम्: कर्म-विशेषण (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् + लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पञ्चमस्य)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual, continuing discourse in Reva Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nandā-hrada (ranked fourth among a set)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage enumerates five supreme holy places on a palm-leaf map; four are shown as emblematic icons—Bhairava shrine, Kedāra linga, Rudra altar, Mahālaya cremation-ground sanctum—while Nandā-hrada appears as a luminous lake; the mysterious ‘fifth’ is veiled in mist.

Characters & Entities

• Bhairava
• Kedāra
• Rudra
• Mahālaya
• Nandā-hrada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True pilgrimage is recognizing rare and potent tīrthas whose sanctity is praised by the Purāṇas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nandā-hrada is highlighted among a set of eminent Śaiva tīrthas connected with the Reva (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the verse primarily enumerates and ranks tīrthas.