Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

समारुह्य महोक्षाणं भूतवृंदनिषेवितः । गिरिजार्ध वपुः शूली सूर्यकोटिसमप्रभः

Transliteration

samāruhya mahokṣāṇaṃ bhūtavṛṃdaniṣevitaḥ | girijārdha vapuḥ śūlī sūryakoṭisamaprabhaḥ

Translation

Monté sur le grand taureau et entouré des multitudes d’êtres, le Seigneur au trident—dont le corps est à moitié celui de Girijā—rayonnait d’un éclat égal à dix millions de soleils.

Word by Word

• समारुह्य: having mounted
• समारुह्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्+आ+रुह् (धातु) → समारुह्य (कृदन्त/क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभावरूप (absolutive/gerund), ‘having mounted’

• महोक्षाणम्: the great bull (Nandin)
• महोक्षाणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + उक्षन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (महान् उक्षाणः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• भूतवृंदनिषेवितः: served by hosts of beings
• भूतवृंदनिषेवितः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूत + वृन्द + नि+सेव् (धातु) → निषेवित (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भूतवृन्दैः निषेवितः), क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘attended/served by hosts of beings’

• गिरिजार्ध: half (belonging to) Girijā
• गिरिजार्ध: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गिरिजा + अर्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गिरिजायाः अर्धम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (अर्ध-शब्दः), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — used adjectivally with वपुः

• वपुः: body, form
• वपुः: Karta (Subject/appositional description/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• शूली: the trident-bearer
• शूली: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूलिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• सूर्यकोटिसमप्रभः: having radiance equal to ten million suns
• सूर्यकोटिसमप्रभः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूर्य + कोटि + सम + प्रभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (सूर्यकोट्या समा प्रभा यस्य), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva appears riding the great bull, surrounded by bhūta-gaṇas; he bears the trident and reveals Ardhanārīśvara aspect, radiating like countless suns.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Śaṅkara)
• Nandin (bull mount)
• Bhūtas (Śiva’s gaṇas)
• Girijā (Pārvatī)
• Ardhanārīśvara (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine darśana is both majestic and intimate: Śiva appears with cosmic sovereignty and compassionate accessibility to devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu (the sacred bridge-region) is the broader māhātmya context where such divine appearances affirm the site’s sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse focuses on the iconography and presence of Śiva.