Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

पृथिवीं समभिक्रम्य संस्थितो मेघमंडले । प्रवहोनाम यो मेघान्प्रवहत्यतिशक्तिमान्

Transliteration

pṛthivīṃ samabhikramya saṃsthito meghamaṃḍale | pravahonāma yo meghānpravahatyatiśaktimān

Translation

പൃഥ്വിയെ ചുറ്റി അവൻ മേഘമണ്ഡലത്തിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു. അതിശക്തിമാനായ ആ വായു ‘പ്രവഹ’ എന്ന പേരിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധൻ; മേഘങ്ങളെ മുന്നോട്ട് ഒഴുക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• pṛthivīm: the earth
• pṛthivīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — accusative

• samabhikramya: having traversed
• samabhikramya: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-abhi-kram (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — 'having traversed/approached'; उपसर्ग: सम्+अभि

• saṃsthitaḥ: stationed, settled
• saṃsthitaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'stationed/settled'

• megha-maṃḍale: in the cloud-region
• megha-maṃḍale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: megha + maṃḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative; समास: मेघानां मण्डले (in the circle/region of clouds)

• pravahaḥ: Pravaha (name of a wind)
• pravahaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pravaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — nominative

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Sambandha (Apposition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (नामनिर्देशक-निपात) — 'by name'

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — relative pronoun

• meghān: clouds
• meghān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: megha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — accusative

• pravahati: drives along, carries
• pravahati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-vah (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — 'carries/drives along'; उपसर्ग: प्र

• ati-śaktimān: very powerful
• ati-śaktimān: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati + śaktimat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — adjective agreeing with pravahaḥ/yaḥ; समास: अतिशयेन शक्तिमान् (exceedingly powerful)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast atmospheric ring of clouds encircles the earth; within it stands Pravaha, the mighty wind-support, pushing cloud-masses onward in a regulated procession.

Characters & Entities

• Pravaha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic processes like cloud movement are governed by ordered divine principles, reminding the listener of an intelligent, sustained cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is mentioned; the verse focuses on cosmological mechanics (cloud sphere and wind).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it defines the function of Pravaha within the seven vāyu-skaṃdhas.