Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

स्वर्गलोके वसेत्तावद्यावदाभूतसम्प्लवम् । शूलपाणेस्तु भक्त्या वै जाप्यं कुर्वन्ति ये नराः

Transliteration

svargaloke vasettāvadyāvadābhūtasamplavam | śūlapāṇestu bhaktyā vai jāpyaṃ kurvanti ye narāḥ

Translation

भूतसम्प्लव (महाप्रलय) येईपर्यंत तो स्वर्गलोकी वास करतो. जे नर शूलपाणि प्रभूच्या भक्तीने जप करतात, त्यांना असे फळ मिळते.

Word by Word

• स्वर्गलोके: in the heaven-world
• स्वर्गलोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वर्गस्य लोकः)

• वसेत्: would dwell
• वसेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (correlative: 'so long')

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (correlative: 'as long as')

• आभूतसम्प्लवम्: up to the cosmic dissolution
• आभूतसम्प्लवम्: Karma (Extent/कर्म-पर्यन्त)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ + भूत + सम्प्लव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव (आ- उपसर्गार्थे: 'up to the dissolution of beings')

• शूलपाणेः: of Śūlapāṇi (Śiva)
• शूलपाणेः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (शूलः पाणौ यस्य/शूलं पाणौ)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (particle: 'but/indeed')

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

• वै: certainly
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• जाप्यम्: japa (to be recited)
• जाप्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाप्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √जप्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; भावे-यत्/ण्यम् (that which is to be muttered)

• कुर्वन्ति: do/perform
• कुर्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• नराः: men
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Unspecified teacher (Revākhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee seated in meditation on a riverbank, counting rudrākṣa beads, with Śiva as Śūlapāṇi appearing in a luminous vision; above, celestial realms symbolizing long-lasting svarga.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Śūlapāṇi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady japa performed with devotion to Śiva yields vast merit and exalted post-mortem attainments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa’s Narmadā sacred landscape frames these practices and their fruits.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhakti-yukta japa dedicated to Śūlapāṇi (Śiva).