Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

महाहितजटाजूटं नियम्य शशिभूषणम् । कण्ठत्राणं परं कृत्वा धारयन् कर्णकुण्डले

Transliteration

mahāhitajaṭājūṭaṃ niyamya śaśibhūṣaṇam | kaṇṭhatrāṇaṃ paraṃ kṛtvā dhārayan karṇakuṇḍale

Translation

اُس نے اپنی خوب جٹی ہوئی جٹاؤں کو باندھ لیا، چاند کو زیور بنایا؛ گردن پر اعلیٰ حفاظتی زیور دھار کر، کانوں میں کنڈل پہن لیے۔

Word by Word

• mahāhita-jaṭā-jūṭam: the matted-hair bundle well arranged/placed (his hair-knot)
• mahāhita-jaṭā-jūṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + hita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + jaṭā (प्रातिपदिक) + jūṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (विशेष्य-विशेषणभावः)

• niyamya: having restrained/controlled
• niyamya: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√yam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययभावे), तुमुन्-न; absolutive/gerund: ‘having restrained/controlled’

• śaśi-bhūṣaṇam: the moon-ornament (moon as adornment)
• śaśi-bhūṣaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaśin (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘शशेः भूषणम्’)

• kaṇṭha-trāṇam: neck-protection (throat-guard)
• kaṇṭha-trāṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + trāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘कण्ठस्य त्राणम्’)

• param: supreme, excellent
• param: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कण्ठत्राणम् इति विशेष्यस्य)

• kṛtvā: having made/put on
• kṛtvā: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययभावे) absolutive: ‘having made/done’

• dhārayan: wearing, bearing
• dhārayan: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhṛ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तः; प्रथमा, एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्ग (कर्तरि)

• karṇa-kuṇḍale: ear-rings (pair)
• karṇa-kuṇḍale: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + kuṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, द्विवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘कर्णयोः कुण्डले’)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; not explicitly marked in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dāruvana

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva prepares for his mendicant-journey: matted locks bound and crowned with the crescent moon; a protective neck-ornament; large ear-ornaments—an ascetic yet regal silhouette at dawn’s edge.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (implied)
• Moon ornament (śaśi-bhūṣaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It emphasizes sacred iconography: Śiva’s ascetic-emblematic appearance signals renunciation and divine authority within the narrative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The scene continues toward Dāruvana; this verse itself is descriptive rather than tīrtha-glorifying.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a poetic description of Śiva’s appearance and ornaments.