Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

कदाचित्सत्यलोके सौ पातालमधितिष्ठति । गिरिसानुषु शेतेऽसावशिवोपि शिवः स्मृतः

Transliteration

kadācitsatyaloke sau pātālamadhitiṣṭhati | girisānuṣu śete'sāvaśivopi śivaḥ smṛtaḥ

Translation

Kadang-kadang Dia bersemayam di Satyaloka; kadang-kadang Dia memerintah di Patala. Dia berbaring di lereng gunung—meski tampak ‘tidak mujur’, Dia dikenang sebagai Śiva, Yang Maha Suci dan membawa keberkatan.

Word by Word

• कदाचित्: sometimes
• कदाचित्: कालाधिकरण (Temporal adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय

• सत्यलोके: in Satyaloka
• सत्यलोके: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्यलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: सत्यस्य लोकः

• सः: he
• सः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पातालम्: Pātāla (netherworld)
• पातालम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अधितिष्ठति: presides over/stands upon
• अधितिष्ठति: क्रिया (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि + स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: अधि

• गिरिसानुषु: on mountain slopes
• गिरिसानुषु: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि + सानु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः: गिरिणां सानुषु = 'on mountain-slopes'

• शेते: lies down/rests
• शेते: क्रिया (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शी (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• असौ: that one/he
• असौ: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अशिवः: inauspicious/not Śiva
• अशिवः: विशेषण (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नञ्-प्रत्यय (negated)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: सम्बन्ध/अन्वय (Concession)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अप्यर्थक-निपात (concessive/also)

• शिवः: Śiva/auspicious one
• शिवः: प्रत्यय/विधेय (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्मृतः: is called/remembered
• स्मृतः: क्रिया (Predicate in passive sense)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle): 'remembered/called'

Speaker

Deductive (Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-māhātmya narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva’s presence shown simultaneously in three registers: a luminous Satyaloka above, a shadowed Pātāla below, and the central mountain slope where the ash-smeared Lord reclines in yogic ease—paradoxically ‘aśiva’ in appearance yet radiantly Śiva.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Satyaloka
• Pātāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva pervades all realms—from highest to lowest—and even what appears fearsome is ultimately the auspicious power that protects and transforms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-māhātmya, situating cosmic Śiva within the local sanctity of Vastrāpatha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual instruction appears in this verse.