Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

तपतस्तस्य देवस्य शूलाग्राद्बिन्दवोऽपतन् । तेनैषा शोणसंज्ञा तु दश सप्त च ताः स्मृताः

Transliteration

tapatastasya devasya śūlāgrādbindavo'patan | tenaiṣā śoṇasaṃjñā tu daśa sapta ca tāḥ smṛtāḥ

Translation

Tandis que ce Dieu accomplissait l’ascèse (tapas), des gouttes tombèrent de la pointe de son trident. C’est pourquoi elle porte le nom de « Śoṇā » ; et l’on se souvient que ces gouttes furent au nombre de dix-sept.

Word by Word

• तपतः: of (him) who was blazing/doing tapas
• तपतः: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (शतृ-प्रत्यय, वर्तमानकाले कर्तरि present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन (of the heating/performing austerity one)

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• देवस्य: of the god
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• शूलाग्रात्: from the tip of the trident
• शूलाग्रात्: Apadana (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शूलस्य अग्रं = tip of the trident)

• बिन्दवः: drops
• बिन्दवः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• अपतन्: fell
• अपतन्: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तेन: thereby
• तेन: Hetu (Cause marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय; तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण हेत्वर्थे (thereby/therefore)

• एषा: this (she)
• एषा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• शोणसंज्ञा: named ‘Śoṇa’
• शोणसंज्ञा: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोण (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शोणस्य संज्ञा यस्याः = having the name ‘Śoṇa’)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• दश: ten
• दश: Viśeṣaṇa (Numeral qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (numeral used indeclinably)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Numeral qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (numeral used indeclinably)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• ताः: those (drops)
• ताः: Karta (Subject of smṛtāḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• स्मृताः: are remembered/considered
• स्मृताः: Kriyā (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, PPP); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; “are remembered/are said”

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śoṇā (epithet linked here to Revā/Narmadā)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva in intense austerity, radiant heat around him; from the tip of his trident fall distinct droplets that become sacred markers; the river-goddess is associated with a reddish sheen (śoṇa) in the water or aura.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (deva)
• Trident (Śūla)
• Narmadā/Revā (Śoṇā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic myth ties sacred nature to divine tapas; the river’s holiness is grounded in Śiva’s ascetic power and symbols.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadā/Revā is glorified via her epithet ‘Śoṇā’, linking her sanctity to Śiva’s śūla (trident).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the verse gives an origin-account and a traditional numerical detail (seventeen drops).