Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

मीनरूपधरो देवो लोडयामास चार्वणम् । वेदांश्च ददृशे तत्र पाताले निहितान्प्रभुः

Transliteration

mīnarūpadharo devo loḍayāmāsa cārvaṇam | vedāṃśca dadṛśe tatra pātāle nihitānprabhuḥ

Translation

Revêtant la forme d’un poisson, le Seigneur remua et fouilla cette profondeur d’eau; et là, dans le royaume de Pātāla, le Souverain aperçut les Veda qui y avaient été cachés.

Word by Word

• मीनरूपधरः: one who bears the form of a fish
• मीनरूपधरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मीन (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (कृदन्त, धृ-धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनम्; 'मीनरूपं धरति' (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• लोडयामास: agitated/rolled about
• लोडयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लोडय्/लोड् (धातु, causative sense)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः, प्रथमा-पुरुषः, एकवचनम् (Perfect, 3rd person, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• अर्वणम्: Arvaṇa (proper name)
• अर्वणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्वण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• वेदान्: the Vedas
• वेदान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-बहुवचनम् (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• ददृशे: saw
• ददृशे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (आत्मनेपदम्), प्रथमा-पुरुषः, एकवचनम् (Perfect, 3rd person, Singular; 'saw')

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देश-अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• पाताले: in the netherworld
• पाताले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी-एकवचनम् (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• निहितान्: placed/hidden
• निहितान्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकृदन्तम्; पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-बहुवचनम् (past participle; Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• प्रभुः: the Lord
• प्रभुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced, Purāṇic narrative style within Āvantya-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Matsya-avatāra kathā within Revā-khaṇḍa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu takes the form of a fish, moves through the dark waters of Pātāla, churns/searches the depths, and beholds the Vedas concealed there.

Characters & Entities

• Matsya (fish-form)
• Veda
• Pātāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge (the Vedas) is divinely protected; when it is obscured, the Lord restores it.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Revā-khaṇḍa’s larger praise of Revā/Narmadā, but the immediate scene is cosmic (Pātāla), not a named riverbank tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the retrieval of the Vedas.