Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

पतितोऽधोमुखो भूत्वा ततः शूलेन भेदितः । पुनश्च देवदेवेन शूलेन द्विदलीकृतः

Transliteration

patito'dhomukho bhūtvā tataḥ śūlena bheditaḥ | punaśca devadevena śūlena dvidalīkṛtaḥ

Translation

Tombant face contre terre, il fut alors transpercé par le trident; et de nouveau, par le Seigneur des dieux, il fut fendu en deux par le trident.

Word by Word

• पतितः: fallen
• पतितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Past participle, masc. nom. sg.

• अधोमुखः: face-down
• अधोमुखः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधस् + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः (कर्मधारय): अधः (अधो-) + मुखः — Masc. nom. sg.

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (गेरुण्ड) — Absolutive (having become)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रमवाचक — Then

• शूलेन: with a spear/trident
• शूलेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Instrumental, Singular

• भेदितः: pierced, split
• भेदितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Past participle, masc. nom. sg.

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (adverb) — Again

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय — Conjunction

• देवदेवेन: by the god of gods
• देवदेवेन: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारयार्थे): ‘देवानां देवः’ — Instrumental, Singular

• शूलेन: with the spear/trident
• शूलेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Instrumental, Singular

• द्विदलीकृतः: split into two
• द्विदलीकृतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि + दलि + कृत (प्रातिपदिक); कृत = √कृ (धातु) क्त
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष): ‘द्विधा दलीकृतः’ — Past participle, masc. nom. sg.

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; specific speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/śrotṛs (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The demon falls face-down; the deity drives the trident through him and then cleaves him into two—an iconic, symmetrical composition with the trident as the central axis.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Devadeva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine justice is decisive: the Lord’s power cuts through arrogance and restores cosmic balance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Revā-khaṇḍa milieu connected with the sanctity of the Revā (Narmadā) region, but it does not name a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse.