Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

कृत्वा प्रदर्शयामास देवेन्द्राय यशस्विने । शतक्रतुस्ततो विप्रान्कापिष्ठलपुरोगमान्

Transliteration

kṛtvā pradarśayāmāsa devendrāya yaśasvine | śatakratustato viprānkāpiṣṭhalapurogamān

Translation

അങ്ങനെ ചെയ്തു അദ്ദേഹം യശസ്വിയായ ദേവേന്ദ്രൻ ഇന്ദ്രനോട് അത് പ്രദർശിപ്പിച്ചു; തുടർന്ന് ശതക്രതു ഇന്ദ്രൻ കാപിഷ്ഠലൻ മുൻപന്തിയിലുള്ള വിപ്രന്മാർക്ക് അത് കാണിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• कृत्वा: having made/done
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्तः अव्ययभावः (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वक्रिया (having done)

• प्रदर्शयामास: showed/displayed
• प्रदर्शयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + दृश् (धातु) (णिच् causative: दर्शय)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular); णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative)

• देवेन्द्राय: to Devendra (Indra)
• देवेन्द्राय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), चतुर्थी (4th case), एकवचनम् (singular)

• यशस्विने: to the glorious one
• यशस्विने: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यशस्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), चतुर्थी (4th case), एकवचनम् (singular); विशेषणम्

• शतक्रतुः: Śatakratu (Indra)
• शतक्रतुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतक्रतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचनम् (singular)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (adverb), क्रम/अनन्तरार्थः (then/thereafter)

• विप्रान्: Brahmins
• विप्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• कापिष्ठलपुरोगमान्: having Kāpiṣṭhala as their leader/at the forefront
• कापिष्ठलपुरोगमान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कापिष्ठल + पुरोगम (प्रातिपदिक; पुरोगम = पुरस् + गम् (धातु) + खल्/णिनि-प्रत्यय (agentive))
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचनम् (plural); विशेषणम्, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (agent noun)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Mārkaṇḍeya continuing the account within Revā-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viśvakarmā presents the completed jeweled mansions to Indra; Indra, radiant and regal, then leads the brahmarṣis—headed by Kāpiṣṭhala—to view the marvel.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Devendra, Śatakratu)
• Kāpiṣṭhala
• Vipras (Brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine acts become fully meaningful when revealed to and affirmed by the community of sages—dharma is strengthened through shared witness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā-khaṇḍa setting (Narmadā region) is being framed as a sanctified arena where gods and sages gather—an implicit tīrtha-mahātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it emphasizes showing/revealing a sacred act or marvel to Indra and the brāhmaṇa sages.