Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

क्षीरोदं केशवो गच्छत्कालपृष्ठे निपातिते । य इदं शृणुयाद्भक्त्या चरितं दानवस्य च

Transliteration

kṣīrodaṃ keśavo gacchatkālapṛṣṭhe nipātite | ya idaṃ śṛṇuyādbhaktyā caritaṃ dānavasya ca

Translation

ദാനവൻ വീഴ്ത്തപ്പെട്ടപ്പോൾ കേശവൻ ക്ഷീരസാഗരത്തിലേക്കു പോയി. ഭക്തിയോടെ ഈ ദാനവചരിതം ശ്രവിക്കുന്നവൻ…

Word by Word

• क्षीरोदम्: the milk-ocean
• क्षीरोदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर-उद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (क्षीरस्य उदः/उदकं)

• केशवः: Keśava (Viṣṇu)
• केशवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गच्छत्: going
• गच्छत्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण (केशवः)

• कालपृष्ठे: on the back of Time
• कालपृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल-पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कालस्य पृष्ठे)

• निपातिते: when (it is) cast/placed down
• निपातिते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-पत् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरणे सह (कालपृष्ठे)

• यः: who (whoever)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• शृणुयात्: should hear
• शृणुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• चरितम्: the account/deed
• चरितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित (प्रातिपदिक; √चर्-क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त नाम (past deed/story)

• दानवस्य: of the Dānava (demon)
• दानवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Śiva (as narrator of the māhātmya) to the king (listener)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (O King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Keśava, after felling a demon, departs across a cosmic expanse toward the Ocean of Milk; sages/kingly audience listens as the narrator transitions from battle to tīrtha-māhātmya.

Characters & Entities

• Keśava (Viṣṇu)
• Kṣīroda (Ocean of Milk)
• Dānava (demon)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional listening (śravaṇa-bhakti) to sacred narratives is itself a dharmic act that yields spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter belongs to the Revā Khaṇḍa; the explicit tīrtha praise appears in the following verses for Liṅgeśvara/Luṅkeśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (hearing) of the sacred account with devotion.