Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

गते चादर्शनं देवे तदा स शिखिवाहनः । स्थापयित्वा महादेवं जगाम सुरसन्निधौ

Transliteration

gate cādarśanaṃ deve tadā sa śikhivāhanaḥ | sthāpayitvā mahādevaṃ jagāma surasannidhau

Translation

ദേവൻ പോയി ദർശനാതീതനായപ്പോൾ, മയിൽവാഹനൻ മഹാദേവനെ പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ച് ദേവന്മാരുടെ സന്നിധിയിലേക്ക് പോയി।

Word by Word

• गते: when (he) had gone
• गते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute: 'when (he) had gone')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• अदर्शनम्: disappearance
• अदर्शनम्: Adhikarana (In locative-absolute construction/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी-सम्बद्धं भाववाचक (neuter singular: 'disappearance')

• देवे: of the god; in the god (i.e., when the god was out of sight)
• देवे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masculine locative singular)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (masculine nominative singular)

• शिखिवाहनः: he whose mount is a peacock
• शिखिवाहनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखि (प्रातिपदिक) + वाहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (शिखेः वाहनम् यस्य/शिखिवाहनः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine nominative singular)

• स्थापयित्वा: having installed
• स्थापयित्वा: Kriya (Adverbial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + णिच् (causative) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: णिजन्त-क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (causative gerund), पूर्वक्रिया (having installed/placed)

• महादेवम्: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• महादेवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (masculine accusative singular)

• जगाम: went
• जगाम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd person singular perfect, active)

• सुरसन्निधौ: to the presence of the gods
• सुरसन्निधौ: Adhikarana (Destination locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + सन्निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सुराणां सन्निधिः); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masculine locative singular)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva vanishes from sight; Skanda on peacock establishes Mahādeva (liṅga/shrine implied) and then proceeds to the assembly of the gods.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Mahādeva)
• Śikhivāhana (Skanda)
• Suras (gods)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True devotion expresses itself by establishing worship (sthāpanā) and then serving the divine community (the devas).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This action becomes the immediate narrative cause for the tīrtha’s later fame as Skanda-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, it references establishing Mahādeva (sthāpanā/pratiṣṭhā), a foundational act behind later tīrtha worship.