Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

देवा ऊचुः । जय त्वं देवदेवेश लक्ष्म्या वक्षःस्थलाश्रितः । असुरक्षय देवेश वयं ते शरणं गताः

Transliteration

devā ūcuḥ | jaya tvaṃ devadeveśa lakṣmyā vakṣaḥsthalāśritaḥ | asurakṣaya deveśa vayaṃ te śaraṇaṃ gatāḥ

Translation

ദേവന്മാർ പറഞ്ഞു: “ജയം നിനക്കേ, ദേവദേവേശാ! നിന്റെ വക്ഷസ്ഥലത്തിൽ ശ്രീലക്ഷ്മി വസിക്കുന്നു. ദേവേശാ, അസുരനാശകാ! ഞങ്ങൾ നിന്റെ ശരണത്തിൽ എത്തിയിരിക്കുന്നു।”

Word by Word

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• जय: victory! hail!
• जय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जय (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय-प्रयोग)
• Form: जय-शब्दः; संबोधन/आशीर्वादार्थे अव्ययवत् (hail/victory)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• देवदेवेश: O Lord of the gods
• देवदेवेश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव-देव-ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (deva-devasya īśaḥ)

• लक्ष्म्या: by/with Lakṣmī
• लक्ष्म्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वक्षःस्थलाश्रितः: dwelling on (your) chest
• वक्षःस्थलाश्रितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वक्षःस्थल-आश्रित (प्रातिपदिक; √श्रि (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (vaksas-sthala = chest-region; āśrita = resorted)

• असुरक्षय: O destroyer of demons
• असुरक्षय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असुर-क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (destroyer of asuras)

• देवेश: O Lord of the gods
• देवेश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव-ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• शरणम्: refuge
• शरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गताः: have come (to)
• गताः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्रियार्थे (have gone/come)

Speaker

Devāḥ (the Devas)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Keśava/Janārdana (Viṣṇu)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas with folded hands chant ‘Jaya’ before Viṣṇu; Lakṣmī is shown seated/abiding on his chest (Śrīvatsa), chakra visible; the mood is urgent yet confident.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Vāsudeva (Viṣṇu)
• Lakṣmī
• Asuras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śaraṇāgati (taking refuge in the Supreme) is presented as the Devas’ immediate dharmic response in crisis.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it occurs within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s broader sacred-geography frame around the Narmadā (Revā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the act emphasized is devotional surrender and praise (stuti) as a spiritual practice.