Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

सा तस्य दंष्ट्राग्रविलम्बिताङ्गी कैलासशृङ्गाग्रगतेव ज्योत्स्ना । विभ्राजते साप्यसमानमूर्तिः शशाङ्कशृङ्गे च तडिद्विलग्ना

Transliteration

sā tasya daṃṣṭrāgravilambitāṅgī kailāsaśṛṅgāgragateva jyotsnā | vibhrājate sāpyasamānamūrtiḥ śaśāṅkaśṛṅge ca taḍidvilagnā

Translation

അവന്റെ ദംഷ്ട്രാഗ്രത്തിൽ തൂങ്ങിയ ഭൂമി, കൈലാസശിഖരാഗ്രത്തിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്ന ജ്യോത്സ്നപോലെ പ്രകാശിച്ചു. ആ അനുപമമൂർത്തിയായ ഭൂമി, ചന്ദ്രശൃംഗത്തിൽ ചേർന്ന മിന്നലുപോലെയും ദീപ്തിയായി.

Word by Word

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• daṃṣṭrāgra-vilambita-aṅgī: whose limbs were hanging from the tip of (his) tusk
• daṃṣṭrāgra-vilambita-aṅgī: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daṃṣṭrā (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक) + vilambita (कृदन्त; √lamb (लम्ब्) + vi-, क्त) + aṅgī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—दंष्ट्राग्रे विलम्बितानि अङ्गानि यस्याः (locative/genitive-tatpurusha sense)

• kailāsa-śṛṅga-agra-gatā: gone to the peak-tip of Kailāsa
• kailāsa-śṛṅga-agra-gatā: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kailāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + śṛṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (कृदन्त; √gam (गम्), क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कैलासस्य शृङ्गस्य अग्रे गता

• iva: as if/like
• iva: Upamana-marker (Simile/उपमा-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्यय (comparative particle)

• jyotsnā: moonlight
• jyotsnā: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jyotsnā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vibhrājate: shines forth
• vibhrājate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhrāj (भ्राज्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• asamāna-mūrtiḥ: (she) of unmatched form
• asamāna-mūrtiḥ: Visheshya (Apposition/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a- (नञ्) + samāna (प्रातिपदिक) + mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—असमानā मूर्तिः (unequal/peerless form)

• śaśāṅka-śṛṅge: on the moon’s horn/peak
• śaśāṅka-śṛṅge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaśāṅka (प्रातिपदिक) + śṛṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समासः—शशाङ्कस्य शृङ्गे

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• taḍit-vilagnā: clinging like lightning
• taḍit-vilagnā: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: taḍit (प्रातिपदिक) + vilagnā (कृदन्त; √lag (लग्) + vi-, क्त, स्त्री)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तडिति विलग्ना

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) [deduced]

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Varāha’s tusk-tip holds the Earth aloft; the Earth gleams like moonlight on Kailāsa’s summit and like lightning on the Moon’s horn—two luminous similes framing the rescue.

Characters & Entities

• Earth (Bhūmi)
• Kailāsa
• Moon (Śaśāṅka)
• Varāha (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The restored world shines by the Lord’s support; divine rescue is not only power but also auspicious beauty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kailāsa is referenced as a sacred cosmic mountain in a simile; the verse itself is not a tīrtha-instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a devotional eulogy through sacred imagery.