Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

श्रीकण्ठः सगणः सर्वभूतसङ्घैर्निषेवितः । अस्माद्गिरिवराद्भूप वक्ष्ये तीर्थस्य विस्तरम्

Transliteration

śrīkaṇṭhaḥ sagaṇaḥ sarvabhūtasaṅghairniṣevitaḥ | asmādgirivarādbhūpa vakṣye tīrthasya vistaram

Translation

ശ്രീകണ്ഠൻ ശിവൻ തന്റെ ഗണങ്ങളോടുകൂടി സർവ്വഭൂതസമൂഹങ്ങളാൽ സേവിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. ഹേ ഭൂപാ! ഈ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ഗിരിവരത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഈ തീർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ വിശാലവിവരം ഞാൻ പറയും।

Word by Word

• श्रीकण्ठः: Śrīkaṇṭha (Śiva)
• श्रीकण्ठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीकण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-संज्ञा (श्रीमान् कण्ठः यस्य) / रूढिनाम

• सगणः: with his attendants (gaṇas)
• सगणः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः ‘स-’ = ‘सहित’

• सर्वभूतसङ्घैः: by hosts of all beings
• सर्वभूतसङ्घैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + सङ्घ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वभूतानां सङ्घैः)

• निषेवितः: attended/served
• निषेवितः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-उपसर्ग + √सेव् (सेवने) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• अस्मात्: from this
• अस्मात्: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• गिरिवरात्: from the excellent mountain
• गिरिवरात्: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (वरः गिरिः)

• भूप: O king
• भूप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन

• वक्ष्ये: I shall tell
• वक्ष्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (वचने)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तीर्थस्य: of the tīrtha (holy place)
• तीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन

• विस्तरम्: the extent/detail
• विस्तरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

Speaker

Vāyu (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha-vistara (Narmadā tīrtha network) anchored at Amarakanṭaka

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (bhūpa addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva as Śrīkaṇṭha on a mountain ledge, surrounded by gaṇas and diverse beings; a sage-narrator gestures toward a map-like river course below, indicating forthcoming tīrtha descriptions; a king listens respectfully.

Characters & Entities

• Śrīkaṇṭha
• Śiva
• Gaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s greatness is inseparable from the living presence of Śiva and his divine retinue, making the landscape itself a field of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-region, introduced from the vantage of a “best of mountains” associated with Śiva’s presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse functions as a narrative preface to the detailed tīrtha-description that follows.