Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

आराध्यः सर्वभूतानां जगद्भर्ता जगद्गुरुः । श्रोतव्यं श्रोतुमिच्छामि महदाश्चर्यमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

ārādhyaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ jagadbhartā jagadguruḥ | śrotavyaṃ śrotumicchāmi mahadāścaryamuttamam

Translation

അവൻ സർവ്വഭൂതങ്ങളുടെയും ആരാധ്യൻ, ജഗദ്ധർത്താവും ജഗദ്ഗുരുവുമാണ്. ശ്രവിക്കേണ്ടതായ ആ മഹത്തായ പരമാശ്ചര്യം ഞാൻ കേൾക്കാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ārādhyaḥ: worthy to be worshipped
• ārādhyaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-rādh (धातु) → ārādhya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (यत्/तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त अर्थे योग्य/उचित), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; adjectival predicate

• sarvabhūtānām: of all beings
• sarvabhūtānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: कर्मधारय (सर्वाणि भूतानि), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• jagadbhartā: the sustainer of the world
• jagadbhartā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + bhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जगतः भर्ता), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• jagadguruḥ: the teacher of the world
• jagadguruḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जगतः गुरुः), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• śrotavyam: something to be heard
• śrotavyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śru (धातु) → śrotavya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त, ‘to be heard’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; here as object of desire

• śrotum: to hear
• śrotum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु) → śrotum (तुमुन्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), अव्ययवत् प्रयोग; क्रियार्थक

• icchāmi: I wish
• icchāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: iṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• mahat: great
• mahat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण of āścaryam

• āścaryam: marvel
• āścaryam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āścarya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• uttamam: supreme, excellent
• uttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण of āścaryam

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Inquirer within the frame (here the speaker expresses desire to hear)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A reverent inquirer bows mentally to the world-sustainer and requests to hear a supreme wonder; sages seated in a forest-āśrama setting, palm-leaf manuscripts nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is portrayed as universal refuge and teacher; reverent listening to sacred accounts is itself a dharmic act that nourishes devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly; it continues the theological framing within the Bhṛgu-tīrtha narrative context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devotional listening) is implied as a spiritual discipline—requesting to hear the sacred account.