Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

तं देवमीशानमजं वरेण्यं दृष्ट्वा जगत्संहरणं महेशम् । सा कालरात्रिः सह मातृभिश्च गणाश्च सर्वे शिवमर्चयन्ति

Transliteration

taṃ devamīśānamajaṃ vareṇyaṃ dṛṣṭvā jagatsaṃharaṇaṃ maheśam | sā kālarātriḥ saha mātṛbhiśca gaṇāśca sarve śivamarcayanti

Translation

L’ayant contemplé, ce Dieu—Īśāna, l’Inengendré, le plus digne—, Maheśa, dissolvant de l’univers, Kālarātrī, avec les Mātṛs et toutes les troupes des Gaṇas, adore Śiva.

Word by Word

• tam: him
• tam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम-शब्दः (pronoun)

• devam: the god
• devam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• īśānam: the Lord (Īśāna)
• īśānam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेष्य-समनाधिकरणम् (apposition to devam)

• ajam: unborn
• ajam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying the deity)

• vareṇyam: most worthy of choice/veneration
• vareṇyam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vareṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (gerund); पूर्वकालिकक्रिया (having seen)

• jagat-saṃharaṇam: the destruction of the world
• jagat-saṃharaṇam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃharaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जगतः संहरणम् = destruction of the world)

• maheśam: Mahēśa (Great Lord)
• maheśam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; समनाधिकरणम् (apposition to devam)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम-शब्दः

• kālarātriḥ: Kālarātri
• kālarātriḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kālarātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कालस्य रात्रिः)

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; सहार्थक-उपपद (with)

• mātṛbhiḥ: with the Mothers (Mātṛs)
• mātṛbhiḥ: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सह-योगे (instrumental of accompaniment)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• gaṇāḥ: the attendants/hosts
• gaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying gaṇāḥ)

• śivam: Śiva
• śivam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• arcayanti: worship
• arcayanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-maṇḍala

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: Śiva as Īśāna/Maheśa, serene yet world-dissolving, receives worship from Kālarātrī, the Mātṛkās, and swarming gaṇas in a dark, pralaya-tinged atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Maheśa/Īśāna)
• Kālarātri
• Mātṛs
• Gaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even cosmic powers and fierce divinities revere Śiva; true authority is grounded in devotion to the Supreme Lord.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it emphasizes Śiva’s supremacy within the Revā Khaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship (arcana) is mentioned generally, without detailing a specific rite.