Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

ततो रविज्वालसहस्रमालि बभूव वक्त्रं चलजिह्वदंष्ट्रम् । महेश्वरस्याद्भुतरूपिणस्तदा स द्वादशात्मा प्रबभूव एकः

Transliteration

tato ravijvālasahasramāli babhūva vaktraṃ calajihvadaṃṣṭram | maheśvarasyādbhutarūpiṇastadā sa dvādaśātmā prababhūva ekaḥ

Translation

แล้วพระพักตร์ของพระมหेशวรผู้มีรูปอัศจรรย์ก็ประดับด้วยพวงมาลัยแห่งเปลวเพลิงดุจสุริยะนับพัน มีลิ้นไหวเคลื่อนไหวและเขี้ยวคม; และในกาลนั้น พระองค์ผู้เป็นเอกะได้ปรากฏเป็นทวาทศาตมัน คือมีสภาวะสิบสองประการ

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/देशवाचक (then/from there)

• रविज्वालसहस्रमालि: having a thousand sun-flame garlands
• रविज्वालसहस्रमालि: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of implied ‘vaktram’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ravi (प्रातिपदिक) + jvālā (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + mālin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘रविज्वालसहस्र-मालिन्’ = यस्य रविज्वालानां सहस्रं माला इव अस्ति (having a garland of a thousand sun-like flames)

• बभूव: became, came to be
• बभूव: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वक्त्रम्: mouth, face
• वक्त्रम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• चलजिह्वदंष्ट्रम्: with moving tongues and fangs
• चलजिह्वदंष्ट्रम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ‘vaktram’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cala (प्रातिपदिक) + jihvā (प्रातिपदिक) + daṃṣṭrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (चलाः जिह्वाः दंष्ट्राश्च यस्मिन्/यस्य)

• महेश्वरस्य: of Maheśvara
• महेश्वरस्य: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• अद्भुतरूपिणः: of wondrous form
• अद्भुतरूपिणः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ‘maheśvarasya’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adbhuta (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (अद्भुतं रूपं यस्य)

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• द्वादशात्मा: having twelve forms/aspects
• द्वादशात्मा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ‘saḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (द्वादश आत्मानः यस्य)

• प्रबभूव: manifested, came forth
• प्रबभूव: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + bhū (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एकः: one, single
• एकः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ‘saḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Deductive: Purāṇic narrator

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Maheśvara’s face becomes a garland of a thousand sun-like flames, with moving tongues and fangs; the single deity simultaneously manifests as twelvefold essence.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The One Divine can manifest in many functional forms for cosmic governance—unity underlying multiplicity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tirtha is named in this verse; it describes a divine manifestation within the Revā-section narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse.