Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

सुपवित्रं महातेजाः प्रविश्य जलसा गरे । उद्धृता च मही सर्वा ससागरमहीधरा

Transliteration

supavitraṃ mahātejāḥ praviśya jalasā gare | uddhṛtā ca mahī sarvā sasāgaramahīdharā

Translation

അത്യന്തം പവിത്രനും മഹാതേജസ്സുമുള്ള ഭഗവാൻ ജലഗർഭത്തിലേക്ക് പ്രവേശിച്ചു; സമുദ്രങ്ങളും പർവതങ്ങളും സഹിതം മുഴുവൻ ഭൂമിയെയും ഉയർത്തി.

Word by Word

• सुपवित्रम्: very pure (thing/form)
• सुपवित्रम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + पवित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (अतिशयेन पवित्रम्)

• महातेजाः: of great splendor
• महातेजाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (greatly radiant)

• प्रविश्य: having entered
• प्रविश्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + विश् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकालिक (having entered)

• जलसा: with/in water
• जलसा: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd case), एकवचन

• गरे: in the abyss/depth
• गरे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th case), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक

• उद्धृता: was lifted up
• उद्धृता: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• मही: the earth
• मही: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वा: entire
• सर्वा: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• ससागरमहीधरा: together with oceans and mountains
• ससागरमहीधरा: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + सागर + महीधरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (सागरैः सह महीधरा इति) विशेषण

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual narrator within Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa; likely Sūta addressing sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A blazing, supremely pure deity plunges into the dark watery abyss; the Earth—complete with oceans and mountains—is lifted upward in a single salvific motion.

Characters & Entities

• Varāha
• Mahī (Earth)
• Sāgara (oceans)
• Mahīdharā (mountains)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine purity and power restore stability to creation; the sacred preserves the world when it sinks into chaos.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears; the verse functions as a mahatmya-style glorification of the Lord’s world-saving act within the Dharmāraṇya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is explicit; it is a praise passage (stuti/ākhyāna) rather than a vrata or dāna instruction.