Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

जटामध्यस्थितां गङ्गां मोचयस्वेति भूतले । भास्वन्ती सा ततो मुक्ता रुद्रेण शिरसा भुवि

Transliteration

jaṭāmadhyasthitāṃ gaṅgāṃ mocayasveti bhūtale | bhāsvantī sā tato muktā rudreṇa śirasā bhuvi

Translation

‘ജടകളുടെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്ന ഗംഗയെ ഭൂതലത്തിലേക്ക് മോചിപ്പിക്കണമേ’ എന്നു പ്രാർത്ഥിച്ചു. അപ്പോൾ ആ ഭാസ്വതീ ദേവി രുദ്രന്റെ ശിരസ്സിൽ നിന്ന് ഭൂമിയിലേക്ക് മോചിതയായി.

Word by Word

• जटामध्यस्थिताम्: situated in the middle of (his) matted hair
• जटामध्यस्थिताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जटा (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्ताधार)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (जटायाः मध्ये स्थिता) विशेषण (गङ्गाम्)

• गङ्गाम्: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मोचयस्व: release, set free
• मोचयस्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (मोचयस्व)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-उद्धरण-चिह्न (quotative marker)

• भूतले: on the earth
• भूतले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूतल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• भास्वन्ती: shining, radiant
• भास्वन्ती: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भास्वन्त् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (सा)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ततः: then, from there
• ततः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रम (from there/then)

• मुक्ता: released
• मुक्ता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• रुद्रेण: by Rudra (Śiva)
• रुद्रेण: Karana (Agent/Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शिरसा: with (his) head
• शिरसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भुवि: on the earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (released from Śiva’s jaṭā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The gods beseech Rudra to release Gaṅgā from within his matted locks; the radiant river-goddess emerges from Śiva’s head and descends to earth in a luminous cascade.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Rudra
• Śiva
• Jaṭā (matted locks)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva mediates overwhelming divine power into a form that can bless the world—grace makes the transcendent accessible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the broader tīrtha-māhātmya by grounding sanctity in Gaṅgā’s descent from Rudra’s head, a key sacred-geography motif.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it narrates the divine release that underwrites later practices such as river-bathing and tīrtha observance.