Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

कपालपाणिर्भगवान्बालकैर्बहुभिर्वृतः । क्वचिद्गायन्हसंश्चैव नृत्यन्वदन् क्वचित्क्वचित्

Transliteration

kapālapāṇirbhagavānbālakairbahubhirvṛtaḥ | kvacidgāyanhasaṃścaiva nṛtyanvadan kvacitkvacit

Translation

Baginda Bhagavān memegang kapāla (mangkuk tengkorak) di tangan, dikelilingi ramai anak lelaki; kadang-kadang bernyanyi dan tertawa, kadang-kadang menari dan berkata-kata—sekejap di sini, sekejap di sana.

Word by Word

• kapāla-pāṇiḥ: he whose hand holds a skull-bowl
• kapāla-pāṇiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapāla (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समास (‘कपालं पाणौ यस्य’/‘कपालपाणिः’)

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• bālakaiḥ: by/with boys
• bālakaiḥ: Sahakāraka (Instrument/Association/सह-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• bahubhiḥ: many
• bahubhiḥ: Sahakāraka (Instrument/Association/सह-करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (bālakaiḥ इति)

• vṛtaḥ: surrounded
• vṛtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘surrounded’

• kvacit: somewhere; at times
• kvacit: Deśa/ Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• gāyan: singing
• gāyan: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gai (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• hasan: laughing
• hasan: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: has (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (particle of emphasis)

• nṛtyan: dancing
• nṛtyan: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nṛt (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• vadan: speaking
• vadan: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kvacit-kvacit: here and there; repeatedly at places
• kvacit-kvacit: Deśa/ Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय) + kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय-युग्म (reduplicated adverb)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from section flow)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ekaśālā (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva with a skull-bowl wanders amid many boys, alternating between song, laughter, dance, and speech, moving unpredictably through lanes and courtyards.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Bhagavān
• Bālakāḥ (boys)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord is not bound by social expectations—His līlā draws hearts through intimacy, joy, and wonder, making devotion natural.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) corridor of pilgrimage, where such divine episodes establish local sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the narrative supports smaraṇa/śravaṇa (remembering/hearing) as devotion-building practices.