Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

षण्मुख उवाच । यदि तुष्टो महादेव उमया सह शङ्कर । वृणोमि मातापितरौ नान्या गतिर्मतिर्मम

Transliteration

ṣaṇmukha uvāca | yadi tuṣṭo mahādeva umayā saha śaṅkara | vṛṇomi mātāpitarau nānyā gatirmatirmama

Translation

Ṣaṇmukha berkata: “Jika Engkau berkenan, wahai Mahādeva—wahai Śaṅkara bersama Umā—maka aku memilih kalian berdua sebagai ibu dan ayahku. Tiada tempat berlindung lain bagiku, tiada azam lain.”

Word by Word

• षण्मुखः: Ṣaṇmukha (six-faced one)
• षण्मुखः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṇ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिसमासः — ‘he who has six faces’ (name of Kārttikeya)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — ‘said’

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्धबोधक/conditional conjunction) — ‘if’

• तुष्टः: pleased
• तुष्टः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tuṣ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘तुष्ट’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (महादेवः) — ‘pleased’

• महादेव: O Mahādeva
• महादेव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; कर्मधारयसमासः (महान् देवः)

• उमया: with Umā
• उमया: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: umā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — ‘with Umā’

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सहार्थक-उपपद) — ‘together with’ (governs instrumental)

• शङ्कर: O Śaṅkara
• शङ्कर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन — ‘O Śaṅkara’

• वृणोमि: I choose
• वृणोमि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛ (धातु; वृणोति/वृणीते)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — ‘I choose’

• माता-पितरौ: (my) mother and father
• माता-पितरौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमासः; पुंलिङ्ग (समाहार/युगलार्थे), द्वितीया, द्विवचन — ‘mother and father (as a pair)’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध/negation particle) — ‘not’

• अन्या: other
• अन्या: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (गतिः/मतिः) — ‘other’

• गतिः: refuge/way
• गतिः: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘refuge/way’

• मतिः: intention
• मतिः: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘thought/intention’

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — ‘of me/my’

Speaker

Ṣaṇmukha (Skanda/Kārttikeya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā-taṭa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Maheśvara (Śiva) with Umā present

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ṣaṇmukha speaks with folded hands, choosing Śiva and Umā as mother and father; Śiva-Umā respond with protective, affectionate presence; mood of surrender and spiritual adoption.

Characters & Entities

• Ṣaṇmukha (Skanda)
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Umā
• Śaṅkara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest boon is devotion itself—exclusive refuge (śaraṇāgati) in Śiva and Umā rather than worldly attainments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly, this devotion becomes part of the narrative foundation for Skanda-tīrtha’s sanctity in the Revā region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the verse emphasizes inner surrender and devotion.