Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

उत्तमाङ्गविनाशाय विरिञ्चेरपि शङ्कर । श्मशानवासिने नित्यं नित्यं भैरवरूपिणे

Transliteration

uttamāṅgavināśāya viriñcerapi śaṅkara | śmaśānavāsine nityaṃ nityaṃ bhairavarūpiṇe

Translation

ஓ சங்கரா! விரிஞ்சனின் (பிரம்மாவின்) தலைகூட அழிப்பவனே; சுடுகாட்டில் நித்தியவாசி; நித்தம் நித்தம் பைரவ ரூபமாக விளங்குபவனே—உமக்கு நமஸ்காரம்.

Word by Word

• uttamāṅga-vināśāya: for the destruction of the head (best limb)
• uttamāṅga-vināśāya: Sampradana (Purpose/प्रयोजन-सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttamāṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + vināśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (uttamāṅgasya vināśaḥ)

• viriñceḥ: of Brahmā (Viriñci)
• viriñceḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viriñci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध-निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• śaṅkara: O Śaṅkara
• śaṅkara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• śmaśāna-vāsine: to the dweller in the cremation-ground
• śmaśāna-vāsine: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śmaśāna (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः (śmaśāne vāsin)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• nityam: ever (again)
• nityam: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb), पुनरुक्ति (repetition for emphasis)

• bhairava-rūpiṇe: to the one having the form of Bhairava
• bhairava-rūpiṇe: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhairava (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (bhairava-rūpaḥ yasya)

Speaker

Andhaka (addressing Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (Narmadā region)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fierce yet compassionate Bhairava-Śaṅkara stands in a cremation ground: ash-smeared body, matted locks, crescent moon, skull-bowl and trident; funeral pyres glow behind; a devotee/dānava offers praise in trembling reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Brahmā (Viriñci)
• Bhairava
• Śmaśāna (cremation ground)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva as Bhairava reveals the fearless truth of impermanence; confronting death and ego leads to purification and liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the cremation-ground imagery aligns with Bhairava/Śiva sacred spaces often celebrated across Śaiva geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the verse is devotional praise emphasizing Śiva’s Bhairava aspect.