Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । समातृभिर्भूतगणश्च घोरैर्वृतः समन्तात्स ननर्त शूली । गजेन्द्रचर्मावरणे वसानः संहर्तुकामश्च जगत्समस्तम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | samātṛbhirbhūtagaṇaśca ghorairvṛtaḥ samantātsa nanarta śūlī | gajendracarmāvaraṇe vasānaḥ saṃhartukāmaśca jagatsamastam

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya bersabda: Dikelilingi dari segala arah oleh rombongan Bhūta yang dahsyat bersama para Ibu (Mātṛ), Sang Pemegang Triśūla mulai menari. Berbalut kulit raja gajah, Ia tampak berniat menarik seluruh jagat menuju pralaya.

Word by Word

• śrīmārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrīmārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (उपपद) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• sa: he
• sa: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम-शब्दः

• mātṛbhiḥ: with the Mothers
• mātṛbhiḥ: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सह-योगे

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; सहार्थक-उपपद

• bhūtagaṇaḥ: the host of spirits
• bhūtagaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भूतानां गणः)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्

• ghoraiḥ: by/with the terrible (ones)
• ghoraiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ghora (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying mātṛbhiḥ/bhūtagaṇaiḥ understood)

• vṛtaḥ: surrounded
• vṛtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः कृदन्तः; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; भूतकर्मणि (covered/surrounded)

• samantāt: on all sides
• samantāt: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samantāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; देशवाचक-अव्यय (from all sides)

• nanarta: danced
• nanarta: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nṛt (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• śūlī: the trident-bearer
• śūlī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūlin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेष्य (epithet of Śiva)

• gajendracarma-āvaraṇe: in/with an elephant-skin covering
• gajendracarma-āvaraṇe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gajendra (प्रातिपदिक) + carman (प्रातिपदिक) + āvaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (गजेन्द्रस्य चर्म-आवरणे = in the elephant-hide covering)

• vasānaḥ: wearing
• vasānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vas (धातु) + śānac (शानच्)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शानच्-प्रत्ययान्तः (present participle); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• saṃhartukāmaḥ: desiring to destroy
• saṃhartukāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃ-√hṛ (धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (संहर्तुं कामः = desirous to destroy)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्

• jagat-samastam: the whole world
• jagat-samastam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + samasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (समस्तं जगत् = the entire world)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (Revākhaṇḍa setting)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya narrates: Śiva the trident-bearer begins a fearsome dance, encircled by ghora bhūtas and the Mātṛs, wearing an elephant-hide cloak, poised to draw the cosmos into dissolution.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Śiva (Śūlī)
• Mātṛkās (Mothers)
• Bhūta-gaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All creation is sustained and withdrawn by the Lord; remembering Śiva as both protector and dissolver cultivates detachment and reverence for dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as a cosmic-theological prelude within the Revā Khaṇḍa; it does not directly name a specific tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit vrata, dāna, snāna, or japa is prescribed in this verse.