Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

देवसैन्याधिपो जातः सर्वशत्रुनिबर्हणः । उग्रतेजा महात्मासौ संजातस्तीर्थसेवनात्

Transliteration

devasainyādhipo jātaḥ sarvaśatrunibarhaṇaḥ | ugratejā mahātmāsau saṃjātastīrthasevanāt

Translation

തീർത്ഥസേവനത്താൽ ആ ഉഗ്രതേജസ്സുള്ള മഹാത്മാവ് ദേവസൈന്യാധിപനായി, സർവ്വ ശത്രുക്കളെയും നിബർഹിക്കുന്നവനായി ജനിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• देवसैन्याधिपः: commander of the divine army
• देवसैन्याधिपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + सैन्य + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• जातः: was born; became
• जातः: Kriya (Predicate state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• सर्वशत्रुनिबर्हणः: destroyer of all enemies
• सर्वशत्रुनिबर्हणः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + शत्रु + निबर्हण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); उपपद-तत्पुरुष (object-relation: 'शत्रून् निबर्हति')

• उग्रतेजाः: of fierce splendor
• उग्रतेजाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण of 'असौ' (he)

• महात्मा: great-souled one
• महात्मा: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महन् + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• असौ: he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• संजातः: arose; came to be
• संजातः: Kriya (Predicate state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + जन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• तीर्थसेवनात्: from (the act of) serving/visiting the sacred place
• तीर्थसेवनात्: Apadana (Source/cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + सेवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (context: Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kumāreśvara tīrtha (Narmadā-taṭa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Narādhipa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant hero figure is invested as Devasenāpati; gods assemble; Skanda’s martial insignia (vel, peacock banner) appears; the Narmadā tīrtha glows in the background, implying the source of empowerment.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda/Kumāra (implied as devasainyādhipa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and reverent service to a tīrtha are depicted as sources of divine strength and auspicious transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Revā (Narmadā) region tīrtha is implied; the name is clarified in the immediate context of Adhyāya 63.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrtha-sevā—reverent visiting, serving, and engaging in prescribed acts at the sacred place.