Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

अभयस्य प्रदाताऽसावुत्तानस्तु करस्ततः । एषा भार्या जगद्भर्तुर्वृषांकस्य महीधर

Transliteration

abhayasya pradātā'sāvuttānastu karastataḥ | eṣā bhāryā jagadbharturvṛṣāṃkasya mahīdhara

Translation

ਇਸ ਲਈ ਉਹ ਉੱਠਿਆ ਹੋਇਆ ਹੱਥ ਅਭਯ ਦਾ ਦਾਤਾ ਹੈ। ਹੇ ਧਰਤੀ-ਧਾਰਕ ਪਹਾੜ! ਇਹ ਜਗਤ-ਪਤੀ ਵ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਾਂਕ (ਵ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਭ-ਚਿੰਨ੍ਹ ਧਾਰੀ ਸ਼ਿਵ) ਦੀ ਪਤਨੀ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• अभयस्य: of fearlessness; of protection
• अभयस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• प्रदाता: giver
• प्रदाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pra-√dā (धातु) → pradātṛ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (तृ-प्रत्यय, agent noun); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• असौ: that (one)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• उत्तानः: outstretched
• उत्तानः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (outstretched/raised)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विभेदसूचक निपात (but/indeed)

• करः: hand
• करः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ततः: thereupon/from that
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय/तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (from that/thereupon)

• एषा: this (woman)
• एषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भार्या: wife
• भार्या: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāryā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• जगद्भर्तुः: of the lord of the world
• जगद्भर्तुः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat + bhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• वृषांकस्य: of Vṛṣāṅka (Śiva)
• वृषांकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣa + aṅka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (कर्मधारय/उपपद-समासार्थ: ‘whose lap/mark is the bull’); पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• महीधर: O mountain
• महीधर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahīdhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन (vocative) एकवचन; पुल्लिङ्ग; ‘earth-holder’ (mountain)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Himālaya (Devī–Śiva vivāha-bhūmi motif)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Himālaya (Mahīdhara)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The narrator points to Devī’s upraised palm as the explicit ‘abhaya’ gesture, proclaiming her as Śiva’s consort—wife of Vṛṣāṅka—before the mountain-king Himālaya.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Pārvatī
• Śiva (Vṛṣāṅka)
• Himālaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approaching the Divine Mother and Śiva removes fear; their grace is protection (abhaya) for devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse explains the spiritual meaning of an auspicious hand-gesture (abhaya).