Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

नाभौ समुत्थितं पद्मं रविमण्डलसन्निभम् । कर्णिकाकेसरोपेतं पत्रैश्च समलंकृतम्

Transliteration

nābhau samutthitaṃ padmaṃ ravimaṇḍalasannibham | karṇikākesaropetaṃ patraiśca samalaṃkṛtam

Translation

അവന്റെ നാഭിയിൽ നിന്ന് സൂര്യമണ്ഡലസദൃശമായ ഒരു പദ്മം ഉദിച്ചു; അത് കർണികയും കേസരങ്ങളും ഉള്ളതും, ദളങ്ങളാൽ മനോഹരമായി അലങ്കരിതവുമായിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• नाभौ: in the navel
• नाभौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाभि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• समुत्थितम्: arisen
• समुत्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-उत्-स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पद्मम्)

• पद्मम्: lotus
• पद्मम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• रविमण्डलसन्निभम्: resembling the solar orb
• रविमण्डलसन्निभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रवि + मण्डल + सन्निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (रविमण्डलस्य सन्निभम्)

• कर्णिकाकेसरोपेतम्: endowed with pericarp and filaments
• कर्णिकाकेसरोपेतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्णिका + केसर + उपेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त, उप-इ + क्त → उपेत), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कर्णिकया केसरैः च उपेतम्)

• पत्रैः: with petals/leaves
• पत्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

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

• समलंकृतम्: fully adorned
• समलंकृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-लङ्कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पद्मम्)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant lotus rises from Viṣṇu’s navel, blazing like the sun’s disc; detailed pericarp and filaments; petals layered and symmetrical against the dark ocean.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu (implied, navel-lotus motif)
• Lotus (Padma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Creation is portrayed as sacred and ordered; the cosmic lotus imagery underlines divine intentionality, often used to sanctify later tīrtha narratives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse continues the cosmogonic prelude; it indirectly supports the Rohiṇī-tīrtha māhātmya but does not name the site itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; descriptive cosmology.