Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

इतश्चेतश्च धावन्तं न पश्यन्ति यदा जनाः । विस्मितास्ते स्थिताः शम्भुर्भविष्यति ततोऽस्तुवन्

Transliteration

itaścetaśca dhāvantaṃ na paśyanti yadā janāḥ | vismitāste sthitāḥ śambhurbhaviṣyati tato'stuvan

Translation

Quand les gens ne purent le voir tandis qu’il bondissait çà et là, ils demeurèrent stupéfaits; puis ils se mirent à le louer en disant : «C’est bien Śambhu !»

Word by Word

• इतश्: from here, on this side
• इतश्: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Directional)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक (from here/this side)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• एतश्: from there, on that side
• एतश्: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Directional)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक (from there/that side)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• धावन्तम्: running
• धावन्तम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धाव् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्मपदम्

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• पश्यन्ति: they see
• पश्यन्ति: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present); प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal conjunction: when)

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन

• विस्मिताः: astonished
• विस्मिताः: Karta (Subject attribute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विस्मित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन; जनाः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन; जनाः इत्यस्य पुनरुक्तिः (they)

• स्थिताः: stood, remained
• स्थिताः: Kriyā (State)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: भूतकाले क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचन; ‘standing/remained’

• शम्भुः: Śambhu (Śiva)
• शम्भुः: Karta (Subject of implied clause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शम्भु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; उक्तिविषयः/स्तुत्यविषयः

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्/Future); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ततः: then, thereupon
• ततः: Hetu/Anantara (Consequence/Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्-अर्थे (thereupon/therefore)

• अस्तुवन्: they praised
• अस्तुवन्: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तु (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect); प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees look in all directions as the deity darts about unseen; then they freeze in astonishment and fold hands, voices rising in praise: ‘Śambhu!’

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Janāḥ (people)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wonder (vismaya) can mature into bhakti; when certainty of the Lord arises, praise becomes the devotee’s natural response.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) sacred setting where the crowd’s stuti becomes part of the place’s living mahātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Stuti (praise) is modeled as a devotional act; no formal vow or donation is specified.