Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

अष्टमं शिवपुष्पं स्यादेषां शृणु विनिर्णयम् । वारिजं सलिलं ज्ञेयं सौम्यं मधुघृतं पयः

Transliteration

aṣṭamaṃ śivapuṣpaṃ syādeṣāṃ śṛṇu vinirṇayam | vārijaṃ salilaṃ jñeyaṃ saumyaṃ madhughṛtaṃ payaḥ

Translation

La huitième est la fleur de Śiva. Écoute la détermination de celles-ci : la fleur née de l’eau doit être reconnue comme l’eau ; la fleur lunaire comme le miel, le ghee et le lait.

Word by Word

• अष्टमम्: eighth
• अष्टमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक विशेषण (ordinal)

• शिवपुष्पम्: Śiva-flower (the flower for Śiva)
• शिवपुष्पम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (शिवस्य पुष्पम्)

• स्यात्: should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (should be)

• एषाम्: of these
• एषाम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (genitive plural pronoun)

• शृणु: hear; listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विनिर्णयम्: determination; decision; explanation
• विनिर्णयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विनिर्णय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; नाम (accusative singular)

• वारिजम्: lotus; water-born
• वारिजम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वारिज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• सलिलम्: water
• सलिलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• ज्ञेयम्: to be known; should be understood as
• ज्ञेयम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) → ज्ञेय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण; भाव्य/कर्तव्य (gerundive: to be known)

• सौम्यम्: lunar; Soma-related
• सौम्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• मधुघृतम्: honey and ghee
• मधुघृतम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक) + घृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (मधु च घृतं च)

• पयः: milk
• पयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; नाम (neuter nominative singular)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Śiva-liṅga by the river receives offerings: a pot of water, bowls of honey, ghee, and milk; above, a subtle lotus and moon motif indicating ‘water-born’ and ‘lunar’ flowers; the ‘Śiva-flower’ hinted as a luminous aura/fragrance.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Madhu (honey)
• Ghṛta (ghee)
• Payaḥ (milk)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest offering culminates in Śiva; inner worship assigns sacred substances as symbolic ‘flowers’ of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage remains within the Reva Khaṇḍa ritual instruction; the tīrtha context is Śūlabheda on the Revā, though not named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Define and offer the mental ‘flowers’—water as the vārija offering, and honey-ghee-milk as the saumya offering—culminating in the Śiva-flower.