Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

शूलभेदमनुप्राप्य शूलं शुद्धं तु शूलिनः । तत्रोत्थमुदकं गृह्य आगता भृगुकच्छके

Transliteration

śūlabhedamanuprāpya śūlaṃ śuddhaṃ tu śūlinaḥ | tatrotthamudakaṃ gṛhya āgatā bhṛgukacchake

Translation

അവർ ശൂലഭേദത്തിലെത്തി, അവിടെ ശൂലധാരിയായ ശിവന്റെ ത്രിശൂലം ശുദ്ധമായ സ്ഥലത്ത് ഉദ്ഭവിച്ച പുണ്യജലം എടുത്തുകൊണ്ട് ഭൃഗുകച്ഛത്തിലേക്ക് എത്തി.

Word by Word

• śūla-bhedam: the piercing/splitting of the trident
• śūla-bhedam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūla (प्रातिपदिक) + bheda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (śūlasya bhedaḥ)

• anuprāpya: having reached
• anuprāpya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu-√prāp (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययभावः; ‘having reached/attained’

• śūlam: the trident
• śūlam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• śuddham: pure, cleansed
• śuddham: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuddha (प्रातिपदिक; √śudh शुध्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (śūlam इति)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• śūlinaḥ: of the trident-bearer (Śiva)
• śūlinaḥ: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūlin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• uttham: arisen, springing up
• uttham: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttha (प्रातिपदिक; ud-√sthā स्था)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (udakam इति)

• udakam: water
• udakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• gṛhya: having taken
• gṛhya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive) रूपम्; छान्दस/वैकल्पिक रूप ‘gṛhītvā’ अर्थे; ‘having taken’

• āgatāḥ: came/arrived
• āgatāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगः (they came)

• bhṛgu-kacchake: at Bhṛgukacchaka (place-name)
• bhṛgu-kacchake: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛgu (प्रातिपदिक) + kacchaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (bhṛgoḥ kacchakaḥ)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śūlabheda

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small pilgrimage party reaches a rocky cleft or marked spot called Śūlabheda; a trident-emblem stands nearby; clear water wells up; they fill a vessel and proceed toward the riverine town of Bhṛgukaccha.

Characters & Entities

• Śūlabheda
• Śiva (Śūlin)
• Bhṛgukaccha
• Suras (Devas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are portrayed as living sources of purification, whose sanctity can be carried forward through tīrtha-water.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śūlabheda is highlighted as a purification-site, and Bhṛgukaccha is named as the next sacred destination.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Taking (collecting) the water that arises at the tīrtha after the act of purification.