Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

संहिता शतसाहस्री पुरोक्ता शंभुना किल । आलोड्य सर्वशास्त्राणि वदार्थं तत्त्वतः पुरा

Transliteration

saṃhitā śatasāhasrī puroktā śaṃbhunā kila | āloḍya sarvaśāstrāṇi vadārthaṃ tattvataḥ purā

Translation

നിശ്ചയം ശംഭു മുൻപ് ലക്ഷശ്ലോകങ്ങളുള്ള സംഹിത ആദ്യം പ്രസ്താവിച്ചു. സർവ്വശാസ്ത്രങ്ങളും മഥിച്ച്, തത്ത്വപ്രകാരം അവയുടെ സാരാർത്ഥം അന്നു വെളിപ്പെടുത്തി.

Word by Word

• संहिता: the compendium
• संहिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संहिता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• शतसाहस्री: (consisting of) a hundred thousand (verses)
• शतसाहस्री: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत + साहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (शत-साहस्री = ‘of a hundred thousand’) विशेषणम् (संहिता)

• पुरोक्ता: formerly spoken
• पुरोक्ता: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरस् + उक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; वच्→उक्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-कृदन्त; समासः—पुरस् + उक्त (तत्पुरुषः)

• शंभुना: by Śambhu
• शंभुना: Kartr-karana (Agent-instrument/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• किल: indeed/it is said
• किल: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रसिद्ध्यर्थक/खलु-अर्थ (particle indicating report/indeed)

• आलोड्य: having churned/considered
• आलोड्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + लुड्/लोड् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) ‘having churned/stirred’; उपसर्गः—आ

• सर्वशास्त्राणि: all the treatises
• सर्वशास्त्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; समासः—सर्व + शास्त्र (कर्मधारयः)

• वद: tell/speak
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अर्थम्: the meaning
• अर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• तत्त्वतः: truly/in essence
• तत्त्वतः: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्त्वतस् (अव्यय; तत्त्व + तस्)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (adverb) ‘in truth/accurately’

• पुरा: formerly/once
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nareśvara and ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cosmic teaching tableau: Śambhu (Śiva) seated in yogic composure, presenting a vast manuscript/scroll symbolizing the hundred-thousand-verse saṃhitā; around him, symbolic ‘churning’ imagery—ocean-like swirl of texts/śāstras becoming a luminous essence.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Śāstras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching is presented as a distilled essence of many disciplines, grounded in tattva (truth/reality).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; it highlights the Purāṇa’s scope and authority rather than a location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it supports faith in Purāṇic hearing/recitation by asserting its comprehensive origin.