Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

एवं संस्तभ्य चात्मानं ततो ध्यातः स नारदः । तत्क्षणादेव सम्प्राप्तो वायुभूतो महातपाः

Transliteration

evaṃ saṃstabhya cātmānaṃ tato dhyātaḥ sa nāradaḥ | tatkṣaṇādeva samprāpto vāyubhūto mahātapāḥ

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ സ്വയം സംയമിപ്പിച്ച് അദ്ദേഹം നാരദനെ ധ്യാനിച്ചു. അതേ ക്ഷണത്തിൽ മഹാതപസ്വി കാറ്റിന്റെ വേഗംപോലെ വേഗത്തിൽ അവിടെ എത്തി.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/adverb): ‘एवम्’ = thus

• संस्तभ्य: having steadied
• संस्तभ्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तम्भ् (धातु) + सम्- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), परस्मैपदी; ‘having restrained/steadied’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक/conjunction)

• आत्मानम्: himself (the self)
• आत्मानम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal modifier/कालवाचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (काल/क्रमवाचक adverb): thereafter/from there

• ध्यातः: having meditated
• ध्यातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having meditated/meditating (as one who has meditated)’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Pronoun: nominative singular)

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• तत्क्षणात्: from that moment
• तत्क्षणात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम) + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तत्+क्षण), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Ablative singular): ‘from that very moment’

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चय/अवधारण particle): just/indeed

• सम्प्राप्तः: arrived
• सम्प्राप्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्राप् (धातु) + सम्- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘arrived/attained’

• वायुभूतः: become wind-like
• वायुभूतः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वायु (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वायुः इव/वायुरूपः + भूत), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘become like wind’

• महातपाः: the great ascetic
• महातपाः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (महत् तपः यस्य सः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘one of great austerity’

Speaker

Narrator (speaker not explicitly identified in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee steadies himself in yogic composure on a riverbank; in the next moment Nārada appears as if carried by wind, suggesting speed and subtle-body movement.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Śiva (implied)
• Mahātapā (Nārada)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Focused intention and divine will swiftly bring the right guidance; sages respond as instruments of cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal ritual is prescribed; the verse references dhyāna (meditative invocation) as a narrative mechanism.