Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । समातृभिर्भूतगणश्च घोरैर्वृतः समन्तात्स ननर्त शूली । गजेन्द्रचर्मावरणे वसानः संहर्तुकामश्च जगत्समस्तम्

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | samātṛbhirbhūtagaṇaśca ghorairvṛtaḥ samantātsa nanarta śūlī | gajendracarmāvaraṇe vasānaḥ saṃhartukāmaśca jagatsamastam

Translation

Disse Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya: Cercado por todos os lados pela terrível hoste de Bhūtas junto com as Mães, o Senhor portador do tridente começou a dançar. Vestindo a pele do rei dos elefantes, parecia desejar recolher o universo inteiro na dissolução.

Word by Word

• śrīmārkaṇḍeyaḥ: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• śrīmārkaṇḍeyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (उपपद) + mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• sa: he
• sa: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम-शब्दः

• mātṛbhiḥ: with the Mothers
• mātṛbhiḥ: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सह-योगे

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; सहार्थक-उपपद

• bhūtagaṇaḥ: the host of spirits
• bhūtagaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भूतानां गणः)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्

• ghoraiḥ: by/with the terrible (ones)
• ghoraiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ghora (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifying mātṛbhiḥ/bhūtagaṇaiḥ understood)

• vṛtaḥ: surrounded
• vṛtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः कृदन्तः; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; भूतकर्मणि (covered/surrounded)

• samantāt: on all sides
• samantāt: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samantāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; देशवाचक-अव्यय (from all sides)

• nanarta: danced
• nanarta: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nṛt (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• śūlī: the trident-bearer
• śūlī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūlin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेष्य (epithet of Śiva)

• gajendracarma-āvaraṇe: in/with an elephant-skin covering
• gajendracarma-āvaraṇe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gajendra (प्रातिपदिक) + carman (प्रातिपदिक) + āvaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (गजेन्द्रस्य चर्म-आवरणे = in the elephant-hide covering)

• vasānaḥ: wearing
• vasānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vas (धातु) + śānac (शानच्)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शानच्-प्रत्ययान्तः (present participle); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• saṃhartukāmaḥ: desiring to destroy
• saṃhartukāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃ-√hṛ (धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (संहर्तुं कामः = desirous to destroy)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्

• jagat-samastam: the whole world
• jagat-samastam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + samasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (समस्तं जगत् = the entire world)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (Revākhaṇḍa setting)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya narrates: Śiva the trident-bearer begins a fearsome dance, encircled by ghora bhūtas and the Mātṛs, wearing an elephant-hide cloak, poised to draw the cosmos into dissolution.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Śiva (Śūlī)
• Mātṛkās (Mothers)
• Bhūta-gaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All creation is sustained and withdrawn by the Lord; remembering Śiva as both protector and dissolver cultivates detachment and reverence for dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as a cosmic-theological prelude within the Revā Khaṇḍa; it does not directly name a specific tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit vrata, dāna, snāna, or japa is prescribed in this verse.