Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

देवराजः सुरैः सार्द्धं वायुमार्गव्यवस्थितः । कृष्णपक्षे चतुर्दश्यां स्नात्वा पश्यति शङ्करम्

Transliteration

devarājaḥ suraiḥ sārddhaṃ vāyumārgavyavasthitaḥ | kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśyāṃ snātvā paśyati śaṅkaram

Translation

Indra, roi des dieux, établi sur la voie du vent avec les devas, se baigne le quatorzième jour de la quinzaine sombre et contemple Śaṅkara.

Word by Word

• devarājaḥ: king of the gods (Indra)
• devarājaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (devānāṃ rājā)

• suraiḥ: with the gods
• suraiḥ: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• sārddham: together with
• sārddham: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sārddham (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अर्थक-अव्यय

• vāyumārga: the path of the wind (air-route)
• vāyumārga: Adhikarana (Basis/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu + mārga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासाङ्ग); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (vāyoḥ mārgaḥ)

• vyavasthitaḥ: stationed/positioned
• vyavasthitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyavasthita (प्रातिपदिक; वि+अव+√sthā (स्था) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• kṛṣṇapakṣe: in the dark fortnight
• kṛṣṇapakṣe: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa + pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• caturdaśyām: on the fourteenth (tithi)
• caturdaśyām: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturdaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (स्ना)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• paśyati: sees
• paśyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश्)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• śaṅkaram: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṅkaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Skanda Purāṇa narrative voice within Revā-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śuklatīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra with a retinue of devas travels along a luminous ‘wind-path’ in the sky, descending to the river-ford on kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī; they bathe and then behold Śaṅkara in manifested presence.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Devarāja)
• Devas (Suras)
• Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa
• Caturdaśī
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the devas rely on tīrtha-snāna and sacred timings (tithi) to attain direct communion with Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within this adhyāya, the praised site is Śukla-tīrtha in the Revā-khaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing on Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa Caturdaśī (the 14th tithi of the dark fortnight).