Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

बहवस्तन्न जानन्ति विष्णुमायाविमोहिताः । तत्र संनिहितं देवं शूलपाणिं महेश्वरम्

Transliteration

bahavastanna jānanti viṣṇumāyāvimohitāḥ | tatra saṃnihitaṃ devaṃ śūlapāṇiṃ maheśvaram

Translation

คนเป็นอันมากไม่รู้ความจริงนี้ เพราะหลงมัวเมาด้วยมายาของพระวิษณุว่า ณ ที่นั้นเอง พระมหेशวรผู้ทรงตรีศูลสถิตอยู่ใกล้ชิด

Word by Word

• बहवः: many (people)
• बहवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• तत्: that (fact/thing)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध (negation particle)

• जानन्ति: know
• जानन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• विष्णुमायाविमोहिताः: deluded by Viṣṇu’s māyā
• विष्णुमायाविमोहिताः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विष्णु + माया + वि + मोहित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (विष्णोः माया) + उपपद-समास/तत्पुरुष; 'विमोहित' = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) used adjectivally

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• संनिहितम्: present/placed nearby
• संनिहितम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + नि + धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle) 'संनिहित'; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; 'देवम्' इति विशेषण

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• शूलपाणिम्: the one with a trident in hand
• शूलपाणिम्: Karma (Apposition to देवम्/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल + पाणि (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (शूलः पाणौ यस्य सः)

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara (the great Lord)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Apposition to देवम्/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् ईश्वरः)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A riverbank tirtha where ordinary people pass by unaware, while a radiant, near-invisible Mahēśvara with trident stands subtly present—only a devoted pilgrim perceives him.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Māyā
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Śūlapāṇi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual blindness comes from māyā; true pilgrimage is recognition—seeing the divine presence that is already near.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gautameśvara tīrtha, where Śiva (Śūlapāṇi Maheśvara) is said to be especially present (saṃnihita).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse urges correct understanding and awareness of Śiva’s presence at the site.