Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

कृत्वा तु कदनं घोरं दानवानां युधिष्ठिर । वाराहं रूपमास्थाय नर्मदायां व्यवस्थितः

Transliteration

kṛtvā tu kadanaṃ ghoraṃ dānavānāṃ yudhiṣṭhira | vārāhaṃ rūpamāsthāya narmadāyāṃ vyavasthitaḥ

Translation

Ô Yudhiṣṭhira, après avoir infligé une terrible déroute aux Dānavas, il prit la forme de Varāha, le Sanglier, et se tint établi dans la Narmadā.

Word by Word

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभावः

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Emphasis/Contrast (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वय (particle: but/indeed)

• कदनम्: slaughter, destruction
• कदनम्: Karma (Object of कृत्वा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• घोरम्: terrible
• घोरम्: Karma (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies कदनम्)

• दानवानाम्: of the Dānavas (demons)
• दानवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive: of the demons)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन

• युधिष्ठिर: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिर: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; संबोधनपदम्

• वाराहम्: boar-like, of a boar
• वाराहम्: Karma (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाराह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies रूपम्)

• रूपम्: form
• रूपम्: Karma (Object of आस्थाय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आस्थाय: having assumed, having taken
• आस्थाय: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभावः; उपसर्गः आ-

• नर्मदायाम्: in/on the Narmadā (river)
• नर्मदायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• व्यवस्थितः: was stationed, remained
• व्यवस्थितः: Karta (Predicate: state of subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-अव-स्था (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपसर्गौ वि-, अव-; स्थित/स्थितः = stationed

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā (Varāha-sthāna)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic tableau: Varāha (boar-headed Viṣṇu) stands in the Narmadā waters after routing Dānavas; defeated demons flee; the river glows with sanctity, and sages witness from the bank.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Dānava
• Varāha
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrthas are grounded in divine history: the deity’s cosmic acts sanctify the landscape and make it spiritually potent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Narmadā (Revā) tīrtha region is invoked, setting the mythic background for Liṅgeśvara and nearby sites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it provides mythic context (kathā) behind the tīrtha’s sanctity.