Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

गिरिं विव्याध शूलेन भिन्नं तेन रसातलम् । निर्मलं चाभवच्छूलं न लेपो दृश्यते क्वचित्

Transliteration

giriṃ vivyādha śūlena bhinnaṃ tena rasātalam | nirmalaṃ cābhavacchūlaṃ na lepo dṛśyate kvacit

Translation

Своим трезубцем он пронзил гору, расколов её до Расаталы. И всё же трезубец остался безупречно чист: нигде на нём не было видно ни следа скверны.

Word by Word

• गिरिम्: mountain
• गिरिम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• विव्याध: pierced
• विव्याध: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-व्यध्/व्यध् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; धातु: व्यध् (to pierce) with वि-

• शूलेन: with the trident/spear
• शूलेन: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instr. sg.)

• भिन्नम्: split, pierced through
• भिन्नम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिद् (धातु) → भिन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; रसातलम् विशेषण

• तेन: by that (trident)
• तेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/anaphoric)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instr. sg.); ‘by that/with it’ (referring to śūla)

• रसातलम्: Rasātala (netherworld)
• रसातलम्: Karma (Object/extent reached)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रसातल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• निर्मलम्: spotless, pure
• निर्मलम्: Karta-pravṛtti-viśeṣaṇa (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; शूलम् विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शूलम्: the trident
• शूलम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• लेपः: stain/smear
• लेपः: Karta (Subject of passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लेप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• दृश्यते: is seen/appears
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense): ‘is seen’

• क्वचित्: anywhere
• क्वचित्: Adhikaraṇa (locative adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), ‘anywhere/ever’

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhṛgu-parvata / Śūla-bheda-sthāna (implied)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva thrusts his trident into a mountain; the rock splits downward into the netherworlds. Despite the violent act, the trident gleams immaculate, without a speck—an awe-inspiring miracle witnessed by devas.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva’s Śūla (Trident)
• Rasātala
• Mountain (Giri)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine action is intrinsically pure: Śiva’s power can transform worlds without accruing impurity—an emblem of transcendent purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śūlabheda (“the trident-cleft/piercing”)—the tīrtha whose sanctity is grounded in this trident-miracle.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription here; it provides the foundational miracle that authorizes later snāna and tīrtha practices.