Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तेषां तु स्तुवतां भक्त्या शङ्करं जगतां पतिम् । डिण्डिरूपो हि भगवांस्तदासौ प्रत्यदृश्यत

Transliteration

teṣāṃ tu stuvatāṃ bhaktyā śaṅkaraṃ jagatāṃ patim | ḍiṇḍirūpo hi bhagavāṃstadāsau pratyadṛśyata

Translation

Tandis qu’ils louaient avec dévotion Śaṅkara, le Seigneur des mondes, le Bienheureux leur apparut alors sous la forme même d’un ḍiṇḍi, un tambour.

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); बहुवचन

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधसूचक (but/indeed)

• स्तुवताम्: of (those) praising
• स्तुवताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तु (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी बहुवचन (genitive plural: “of those praising”)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन

• शङ्करम्: Śaṅkara
• शङ्करम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• जगताम्: of the worlds
• जगताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); बहुवचन

• पतिम्: lord
• पतिम्: Karman (Object complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; शङ्करम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• डिण्डि-रूपः: having the form of a ḍiṇḍi (drum-like form)
• डिण्डि-रूपः: Karta (Subject attribute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: डिण्डि (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी/उपपद-भाव: “ḍiṇḍi-form”); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; भगवन् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis/Reason)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (indeed/for)

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (then)

• असौ: that (one)
• असौ: Karta (Subject apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; दूरवाचक सर्वनाम (that one)

• प्रत्यदृश्यत: appeared, became visible
• प्रत्यदृश्यत: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्/कर्मणि-भावः (appeared/was seen)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dīṇḍimeśvara (implied by ensuing verse)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the climax of praise, Śiva appears not as anthropomorphic deity but as a sacred drum-form, radiant and self-luminous, before the devotees.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Bhagavān
• Ḍiṇḍi (drum-form)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional praise (stuti) invites revelation; Śiva responds to bhakti by granting direct experience (darśana).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) region tradition in which Śiva becomes renowned through the Dīṇḍimeśvara episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Stuti performed with bhakti is highlighted as efficacious; no additional ritual details are stated.