Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

ततो विजज्ञे मनसा क्षणेन अनेकरूपाः सहसा महेशा । चकार यन्मूर्तिभिरव्ययात्मा अष्टाभिराविश्य पुनः स तत्र

Transliteration

tato vijajñe manasā kṣaṇena anekarūpāḥ sahasā maheśā | cakāra yanmūrtibhiravyayātmā aṣṭābhirāviśya punaḥ sa tatra

Translation

แล้วในชั่วขณะเดียว พระมหेशะทรงหยั่งรู้ด้วยพระทัยถึงรูปอันหลากหลาย พระอาตมันอันไม่เสื่อมสลายทรงรับแปดมูรติ เสด็จเข้าสถิตในมูรติเหล่านั้น และทรงดำรงอยู่ที่นั่นอีกครั้งโดยแผ่ซ่านทั่ว

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereupon
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/अनन्तरम् (then/thereupon)

• vijajñe: came to know / realized
• vijajñe: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-jan (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• manasā: by the mind
• manasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• kṣaṇena: in an instant
• kṣaṇena: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; कालवाचक (in a moment)

• aneka-rūpāḥ: many-formed
• aneka-rūpāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aneka (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (अनेकानि रूपाणि यस्य/ये)

• sahasā: suddenly
• sahasā: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहसा/अचिरात् (suddenly)

• maheśāḥ: the great lords (Maheśas)
• maheśāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• cakāra: made / created
• cakāra: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• yat: which / that
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• mūrtibhiḥ: with forms
• mūrtibhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• avyaya-ātmā: he whose self is imperishable
• avyaya-ātmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avyaya (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—बहुव्रीहिः (अव्ययः आत्मा यस्य सः)

• aṣṭābhiḥ: with eight
• aṣṭābhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭan (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक विशेषणम् (with eight)

• āviśya: having entered / pervading
• āviśya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-viś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (having entered/pervaded)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (again)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

Speaker

Narrator (Revā-khaṇḍa frame; speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) within Aṣṭamūrti frame

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Maheśa radiates into eight emblematic manifestations: earth as mountain/linga-base, water as river (Revā), fire as sacrificial flame, wind as swirling banners, ether as starry dome, sun and moon as twin discs, and the yajamāna/ātman as a devotee-sage—each connected by luminous threads back to the imperishable Śiva.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśa (Śiva)
• Aṣṭa-mūrti (eight forms concept)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord is both transcendent and immanent—pervading the world through manifold sacred forms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not a direct tīrtha reference; it supports Śaiva tīrtha-mahātmya by asserting Śiva’s pervasion in the elements and cosmos.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is primarily metaphysical/theological.