Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

संहिता शतसाहस्री पुरोक्ता शंभुना किल । आलोड्य सर्वशास्त्राणि वदार्थं तत्त्वतः पुरा

Transliteration

saṃhitā śatasāhasrī puroktā śaṃbhunā kila | āloḍya sarvaśāstrāṇi vadārthaṃ tattvataḥ purā

Translation

En vérité, une saṃhitā de cent mille vers fut d’abord proclamée par Śambhu. Ayant baratté tous les śāstra, il en exposa jadis le sens selon la vérité.

Word by Word

• संहिता: the compendium
• संहिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संहिता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• शतसाहस्री: (consisting of) a hundred thousand (verses)
• शतसाहस्री: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत + साहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (शत-साहस्री = ‘of a hundred thousand’) विशेषणम् (संहिता)

• पुरोक्ता: formerly spoken
• पुरोक्ता: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरस् + उक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; वच्→उक्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-कृदन्त; समासः—पुरस् + उक्त (तत्पुरुषः)

• शंभुना: by Śambhu
• शंभुना: Kartr-karana (Agent-instrument/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• किल: indeed/it is said
• किल: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रसिद्ध्यर्थक/खलु-अर्थ (particle indicating report/indeed)

• आलोड्य: having churned/considered
• आलोड्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + लुड्/लोड् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) ‘having churned/stirred’; उपसर्गः—आ

• सर्वशास्त्राणि: all the treatises
• सर्वशास्त्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; समासः—सर्व + शास्त्र (कर्मधारयः)

• वद: tell/speak
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अर्थम्: the meaning
• अर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• तत्त्वतः: truly/in essence
• तत्त्वतः: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्त्वतस् (अव्यय; तत्त्व + तस्)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (adverb) ‘in truth/accurately’

• पुरा: formerly/once
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nareśvara and ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cosmic teaching tableau: Śambhu (Śiva) seated in yogic composure, presenting a vast manuscript/scroll symbolizing the hundred-thousand-verse saṃhitā; around him, symbolic ‘churning’ imagery—ocean-like swirl of texts/śāstras becoming a luminous essence.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Śāstras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching is presented as a distilled essence of many disciplines, grounded in tattva (truth/reality).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; it highlights the Purāṇa’s scope and authority rather than a location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it supports faith in Purāṇic hearing/recitation by asserting its comprehensive origin.