Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

रसातलगतामुर्वीं दृष्ट्वा देवो जनार्दनः । वाराहं रूपमास्थाय दंष्ट्राग्रेण वरानने । उत्क्षिप्य धरणीं मूर्ध्ना स्वस्थाने संन्यवेशयत्

Transliteration

rasātalagatāmurvīṃ dṛṣṭvā devo janārdanaḥ | vārāhaṃ rūpamāsthāya daṃṣṭrāgreṇa varānane | utkṣipya dharaṇīṃ mūrdhnā svasthāne saṃnyaveśayat

Translation

രസാതലത്തിൽ മുങ്ങിയ ഭൂമിയെ കണ്ട ദേവൻ ജനാർദനൻ വരാഹരൂപം സ്വീകരിച്ചു. ഹേ സുനയനേ! ദംഷ്ട്രാഗ്രത്തിൽ ധരണിയെ ഉയർത്തി, ശിരസ്സിൽ വഹിച്ചു, അവളെ വീണ്ടും സ്വസ്ഥാനത്തിൽ സ്ഥാപിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• rasātala-gatām: gone to the netherworld (rasātala)
• rasātala-gatām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rasātala (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (कृदन्त, √gam गतौ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्; कर्मणि विशेषणम्; 'रसातले गता' इति षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषभावः

• urvīm: the earth
• urvīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: urvī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दर्शन)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (absolutive/gerund)

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• janārdanaḥ: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• janārdanaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janārdana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनम्; देवस्य विशेषण/नाम

• vārāham: boar (as)
• vārāham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vārāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्; 'रूपम्' इति विशेषणम्

• rūpam: form
• rūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्

• āsthāya: having assumed
• āsthāya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्थितौ) उपसर्गः आ-
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (absolutive); 'आ-√स्था' = to assume/take

• daṃṣṭrāgreṇa: with the tip of (his) tusk
• daṃṣṭrāgreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṃṣṭrā-agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया-एकवचनम्; करणम्; 'दंष्ट्रायाः अग्रेण' इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• varānane: O fair-faced one
• varānane: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara-ānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सम्बोधन-एकवचनम्; 'वरम् आननम् यस्याः' इति कर्मधारयः

• utkṣipya: having lifted up
• utkṣipya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṣip (क्षेपणे) उपसर्गः उत्-
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (absolutive)

• dharaṇīm: the earth
• dharaṇīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharaṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम्

• mūrdhnā: with (his) head
• mūrdhnā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrdhan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया-एकवचनम्; करणम्

• sva-sthāne: in its own place
• sva-sthāne: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी-एकवचनम्; अधिकरणम्; 'स्वस्य स्थाने' इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• saṃnyaveśayat: placed/settled (it)
• saṃnyaveśayat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √viś (प्रवेशने) उपसर्गाः सम्-नि-; णिच् (causative)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; णिजन्त-प्रयोगः

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kardamāla (implied narrative foundation)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Varāha—majestic boar-headed Viṣṇu—emerges from the cosmic waters, Earth-goddess (Bhūdevī) raised on the tusk-tip, then borne upon his head as he sets her in place; devas witness in reverent astonishment.

Characters & Entities

• Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• Varāha
• Rasātala
• Dharaṇī (Earth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine intervention restores cosmic order; avatāra narratives ground the authority of sacred places and dharma in God’s protective action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse provides the mythic backdrop; the tīrtha focus is Kardamāla within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the Varāha episode.