Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । देवदानवसिद्धानां गन्धर्वोरगरक्षसाम् । सर्वेषामेव देवेशो हरते ध्रुवमापदम्

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | devadānavasiddhānāṃ gandharvoragarakṣasām | sarveṣāmeva deveśo harate dhruvamāpadam

Translation

നാരദൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ദേവന്മാർ, ദാനവർ, സിദ്ധർ, ഗന്ധർവർ, നാഗർ, രാക്ഷസർ—എല്ലാവർക്കും ദേവേശ്വരൻ നിശ്ചയമായി ആപത്ത് അകറ്റുന്നു.

Word by Word

• नारदः: Narada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देव: of the gods
• देव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• दानव: of the demons (Dānavas)
• दानव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• सिद्धानाम्: of the Siddhas
• सिद्धानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• गन्धर्व: of the Gandharvas
• गन्धर्व: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• उरग: of the serpents
• उरग: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उरग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• रक्षसाम्: of the Rākṣasas
• रक्षसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (सर्वेषाम् = 'of all')

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• देवेशः: the Lord of the gods
• देवेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानाम् ईशः)

• हरते: removes/takes away
• हरते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Avyaya (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगे क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative: 'certainly')

• आपदम्: calamity, distress
• आपदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आपद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-maṇḍala (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara (addressed as Deveśa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada, vīṇā in hand, praises the Lord as remover of calamity for all beings—devas, dānavas, siddhas, gandharvas, nāgas, and rākṣasas—arrayed in a cosmic assembly.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Deveśa (Lord of the gods)
• Devas
• Dānavas
• Siddhas
• Gandharvas
• Nāgas
• Rakṣasas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Divine is a universal refuge—protection is not limited by species, realm, or faction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular site is named; the emphasis is theological within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it is a statement of faith in divine guardianship.