Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

पूज्यमानो गणैः सर्वैः सिद्धैर्नागैर्महेश्वरः । देवेन भेदितं तत्र शूलाग्रेण नराधिप

Transliteration

pūjyamāno gaṇaiḥ sarvaiḥ siddhairnāgairmaheśvaraḥ | devena bheditaṃ tatra śūlāgreṇa narādhipa

Translation

सर्वैर्गणैः सिद्धैर्नागैश्च पूज्यमाने महेश्वरे, नराधिप, तत्र देवेन शूलाग्रेण स्थलम् भिन्नम्।

Word by Word

• pūjyamānaḥ: being worshipped
• pūjyamānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūj (धातु) + ya (प्रत्यय) → pūjyamāna (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि-प्रयोगे शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्ययान्तः (present passive participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• gaṇaiḥ: by the hosts (attendants)
• gaṇaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• sarvaiḥ: by all
• sarvaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (gaṇaiḥ इत्यस्य)

• siddhaiḥ: by the Siddhas
• siddhaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• nāgaiḥ: by the Nāgas (serpents)
• nāgaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• maheśvaraḥ: Mahēśvara (Śiva)
• maheśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (महान् ईश्वरः)

• devena: by a god
• devena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• bheditam: split, cleft
• bheditam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhid (धातु) + kta (क्त) → bhedita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; (अव्यक्तं कर्म/स्थलादि)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• śūlāgreṇa: with the tip of the trident
• śūlāgreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūla + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शूलस्य अग्रं)

• narādhipa: O king (lord of men)
• narādhipa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नराणाम् अधिपः)

Speaker

Deductively: Purāṇic narrator addressing a king (narādhipa) as listener

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: narādhipa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Maheśvara stands at the riverbank amid a luminous assembly of Gaṇas, Siddhas, and Nāgas; with the tip of His trident He cleaves the ground/riverbed, birthing a sacred fissure that becomes a marked whirlpool and future kuṇḍas.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Gaṇas
• Siddhas
• Nāgas
• Śūla (trident)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred sites are often sanctified by a direct divine act; Śiva’s presence and power establish the tīrtha’s enduring holiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Revā Khaṇḍa tīrtha whose origin is linked to Śiva cleaving the spot with His trident.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship of Maheśvara by celestial and semi-divine beings is described, implying arcana and reverential attendance.