Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । कथं शूलेश्वरी देवी कथं शूलेश्वरो हरः । प्रथितो नर्मदातीरे एतद्विस्तरतो वद

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kathaṃ śūleśvarī devī kathaṃ śūleśvaro haraḥ | prathito narmadātīre etadvistarato vada

Translation

युधिष्ठिर म्हणाला— नर्मदा-तीरी देवी ‘शूलेश्वरी’ कशी प्रसिद्ध झाली आणि हर ‘शूलेश्वर’ कसा विख्यात झाला? हे सर्व मला सविस्तर सांगा।

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• शूलेश्वरी: Śūleśvarī (Lady of the trident)
• शूलेश्वरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल + ईश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• शूलेश्वरः: Śūleśvara (Lord of the trident)
• शूलेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• हरः: Hara (Śiva)
• हरः: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रथितः: is renowned
• प्रथितः: Karta-predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-थि (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नर्मदातीरे: on the bank of the Narmadā
• नर्मदातीरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा + तीर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (तीर), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• विस्तरतः: in detail
• विस्तरतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विस्तरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), प्रकारवाचक (manner)

• वद: tell
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śūleśvara–Śūleśvarī (Revā-taṭa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mārkaṇḍeya (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, seated respectfully before sage Mārkaṇḍeya on a riverbank setting, asks about the paired deities Śūleśvarī and Śūleśvara famed on the Narmadā.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Śūleśvarī Devī
• Śūleśvara Hara (Śiva)
• Narmadā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is understood through sacred story: names of deities at a place encode the site’s mythic and spiritual significance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Narmadā-tīra context of Śūla-tīrtha/Bhadrakālī-saṅgama, associated with Śūleśvara and Śūleśvarī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is an inquiry requesting the detailed legend behind the deity-names at the tīrtha.