Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

काष्ठावस्थः स्थितः सोमो दध्यौ त्रिपुरवैरिणम् । यावद्वर्षशतं पूर्णं तावत्तुष्टो महेश्वरः

Transliteration

kāṣṭhāvasthaḥ sthitaḥ somo dadhyau tripuravairiṇam | yāvadvarṣaśataṃ pūrṇaṃ tāvattuṣṭo maheśvaraḥ

Translation

Soma, demeurant immobile tel un tronc de bois, médita sur l’Ennemi de Tripura (Śiva). Quand cent années entières furent accomplies, Maheśvara fut satisfait.

Word by Word

• काष्ठ-अवस्थः: in a rigid (wood-like) state
• काष्ठ-अवस्थः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काष्ठ + अवस्था (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kāṣṭhasya avasthā) — ‘wooden/rigid state’

• स्थितः: stood, remained
• स्थितः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्थित (कृदन्त; स्था धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त — ‘stood/remained’

• सोमः: Soma (Moon)
• सोमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दध्यौ: meditated upon
• दध्यौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• त्रिपुर-वैरिणम्: the enemy of Tripura (Śiva)
• त्रिपुर-वैरिणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिपुर + वैरिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (tripurasya vairī)

• यावत्: for as long as
• यावत्: Sambandha (Temporal limit)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/काल-सीमा (as long as)

• वर्ष-शतम्: a hundred years
• वर्ष-शतम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (śataṃ varṣāṇām)

• पूर्णम्: complete
• पूर्णम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्ण (कृदन्त; पॄ धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त — ‘completed’

• तावत्: for that long
• तावत्: Sambandha (Correlative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावदर्थक (for that long/then)

• तुष्टः: pleased
• तुष्टः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुष्ट (कृदन्त; तुष् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त — ‘pleased’

• महेश्वरः: Mahēśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (mahān īśvaraḥ)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā–Ūrvā-saṅgama (tapas-bhūmi)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Soma sits utterly motionless on the riverbank, ‘like a log,’ eyes half-closed in deep meditation on Tripurāri Śiva; seasons pass, the river flows, and after a hundred years a subtle aura of Śiva’s satisfaction gathers.

Characters & Entities

• Soma
• Maheśvara
• Tripurāntaka (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unwavering tapas and one-pointed meditation on Śiva culminate in divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa context anticipates the Somanātha-liṅga episode connected with sacred tīrtha-sevā in the Narmadā/Revā sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the emphasis is on prolonged dhyāna (meditation) and tapas.