Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

त्वं शङ्करत्वं हि महेश्वरोऽसि प्रधानमग्र्यं त्वमसि प्रविष्टः । त्वं विष्णुरीशः प्रपितामहश्च त्वं सप्तजिह्वस्त्वमनन्तजिह्वः

Transliteration

tvaṃ śaṅkaratvaṃ hi maheśvaro'si pradhānamagryaṃ tvamasi praviṣṭaḥ | tvaṃ viṣṇurīśaḥ prapitāmahaśca tvaṃ saptajihvastvamanantajihvaḥ

Translation

Tu es véritablement Śaṅkara ; Tu es Maheśvara. Tu es entré dans le Pradhāna primordial, la source la plus éminente. Tu es Viṣṇu, le Seigneur, et aussi le Grand-Père des êtres (Brahmā). Tu es le feu aux sept langues, et Tu es Celui aux langues infinies.

Word by Word

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (2nd person pronoun used as subject)

• śaṅkaratvam: Śaṅkara-hood; being Śaṅkara
• śaṅkaratvam: Karma (Predicate complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara + tva (प्रातिपदिक + तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धित (state of being Śaṅkara)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात-अव्यय; हेतौ/निश्चये (indeed/for)

• maheśvaraḥ: Mahēśvara
• maheśvaraḥ: Karta (Predicate noun/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + īśvara (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (great lord)

• asi: are
• asi: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (present indicative, 2nd sg)

• pradhānam: the Pradhāna (primordial matter)
• pradhānam: Karma (Predicate complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pradhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• agryam: foremost
• agryam: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• asi: are
• asi: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• praviṣṭaḥ: entered; pervading
• praviṣṭaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + viś (विश् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (entered/pervaded)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Predicate noun/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• īśaḥ: Lord
• īśaḥ: Karta (Predicate noun/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• prapitāmahaḥ: great-grandfather (Brahmā)
• prapitāmahaḥ: Karta (Predicate noun/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prapitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• saptajihvaḥ: the seven-tongued (fire)
• saptajihvaḥ: Karta (Predicate noun/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sapta + jihva (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (sapta-jihva: seven-tongued)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• anantajihvaḥ: the endless-tongued
• anantajihvaḥ: Karta (Predicate noun/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ananta + jihva (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (ananta-jihva: having endless tongues)

Speaker

Likely Indra / Devas (continuing stuti); exact speaker not explicit in the snippet

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic identification tableau: Śiva is praised as Śaṅkara and Maheśvara, simultaneously appearing with hints of Viṣṇu and Brahmā, and as sacrificial fire with seven tongues expanding into infinite flames.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Pradhāna
• Viṣṇu
• Brahmā (Prapitāmaha)
• Agni (seven tongues)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The hymn teaches unity: the one Supreme appears as Śiva, Viṣṇu, Brahmā, and the sacrificial fire—one reality in many functions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; it is theological praise within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Indirectly honors Agni and yajña imagery (seven tongues), encouraging worship through sacrificial and devotional frameworks.