Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

नत्वा सोमं महेशानं नत्वा ब्रह्माच्युतावुभौ । सरस्वतीं गणेशानं देव्यासाङ्घ्रिपञ्कजम्

Transliteration

natvā somaṃ maheśānaṃ natvā brahmācyutāvubhau | sarasvatīṃ gaṇeśānaṃ devyāsāṅghripañkajam

Translation

Après m’être prosterné devant Soma et Maheśāna, et m’être prosterné devant Brahmā et Acyuta; (m’être prosterné) devant Sarasvatī, devant Gaṇeśa et devant les pieds de lotus de la Déesse—

Word by Word

• नत्वा: having bowed
• नत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; धातु: नम् (to bow)

• सोमम्: Soma
• सोमम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• महेशानम्: Maheśāna (Śiva)
• महेशानम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेशान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• नत्वा: having bowed
• नत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; धातु: नम्

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (आकारान्त विशेषरूप)

• अच्युतौ: the two Acyutas (Viṣṇu; here as a pair with Brahmā via coordination)
• अच्युतौ: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), द्विवचन

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम-प्रयोग (both)

• सरस्वतीम्: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वतीम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• गणेशानम्: Gaṇeśāna (Gaṇeśa)
• गणेशानम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गणेशान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• देव्याः: of the Goddess
• देव्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• अङ्घ्रि: foot
• अङ्घ्रि: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्घ्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, (समासाङ्ग) प्रातिपदिक; अर्थे: पाद (foot)

• पङ्कजम्: the lotus (i.e., lotus-feet)
• पङ्कजम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पङ्कज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: (देव्याः अङ्घ्रि)-पङ्कजम् = 'lotus of (her) feet'

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sauti)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijāḥ / sages (addressed audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrator-sage begins a sacred recital, hands folded, with a haloed assembly of deities: Soma with crescent, Maheśāna (Śiva) with trident, Brahmā with four faces, Acyuta (Viṣṇu) with conch-disc, Sarasvatī with vīṇā, Gaṇeśa with modaka, and the Devī’s lotus-feet in the foreground as the object of surrender.

Characters & Entities

• Soma
• Maheśāna (Śiva)
• Brahmā
• Acyuta (Viṣṇu)
• Sarasvatī
• Gaṇeśa
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred narration begins with reverence: salutations align the speaker and listener with divine order and remove obstacles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site; this is an invocatory prelude before describing the Narmadā tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied prescription is maṅgala—beginning any sacred teaching with salutations (praṇāma) to deities and the Divine Mother.