Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

वराहभूतं धरणीधरस्ते नृसिंहरूपं च सदा करालम् । पश्याम ते वाजिशिरस्तथोच्चैस्त्रिविक्रमे यच्च तदाप्रमेयम्

Transliteration

varāhabhūtaṃ dharaṇīdharaste nṛsiṃharūpaṃ ca sadā karālam | paśyāma te vājiśirastathoccaistrivikrame yacca tadāprameyam

Translation

ข้าแต่พระผู้เป็นเจ้า ฤทธิ์ที่ทรงค้ำจุนแผ่นดินของพระองค์คือวราหะ และพระรูปอันน่าเกรงขามเสมอคือ นรสิงห์ เราได้ประจักษ์พระเศียรม้า (หัยครีวะ) อันสูงส่ง และย่างก้าวอันประมาณมิได้ของพระองค์ในฐานะตรีวิกรม

Word by Word

• वराहभूतम्: become (as) a boar
• वराहभूतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वराह (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (कृदन्त; भू-धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; भूत = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• धरणीधरः: mountain (earth-bearer)
• धरणीधरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरणी (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (कृदन्त; धृ-धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• ते: of you/your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; enclitic pronoun

• नृसिंहरूपम्: the form of Narasiṃha (man-lion)
• नृसिंहरूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक) + सिंह (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• करालम्: terrible, fearsome
• करालम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कराल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण

• पश्याम: we see
• पश्याम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: you
• ते: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; enclitic pronoun

• वाजिशिरः: horse-head
• वाजिशिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाजि (प्रातिपदिक) + शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: in that manner/also)

• उच्चैः: on high, aloft
• उच्चैः: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उच्चैः (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: aloft/high)

• त्रिविक्रमे: in/with Trivikrama (the three-strider)
• त्रिविक्रमे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + विक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः = 'त्रीणि विक्रमाणि यस्य' (Viṣṇu)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देश (correlative pronoun)

• अप्रमेयम्: immeasurable, inconceivable
• अप्रमेयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (नञ्) + प्रमेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

A devotee/sage praising the Supreme Lord (Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa) in Revā Khaṇḍa context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha sphere (general)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotional assembly beholds the Lord as a sequence of avatāra-forms: Varāha lifting Earth, Narasiṃha fierce and leonine, Hayagrīva with radiant horse-head, and Trivikrama spanning the worlds with an immeasurable stride.

Characters & Entities

• Varāha
• Narasiṃha
• Hayagrīva (implied by horse-head)
• Trivikrama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord protects the world through manifold avatāras—uplifting the earth, destroying tyranny, restoring sacred knowledge, and measuring the cosmos with His boundless stride.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; the verse is avatāra-centered within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s devotional setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is praise recalling avatāras for devotion and remembrance.