Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

मीनरूपधरो देवो लोडयामास चार्वणम् । वेदांश्च ददृशे तत्र पाताले निहितान्प्रभुः

Transliteration

mīnarūpadharo devo loḍayāmāsa cārvaṇam | vedāṃśca dadṛśe tatra pātāle nihitānprabhuḥ

Translation

ربّ نے مچھلی کا روپ دھار کر اُس آبی گہرائی کو کھنگالا؛ اور وہاں پاتال میں چھپائے گئے ویدوں کو مالکِ حقیقی نے دیکھ لیا۔

Word by Word

• मीनरूपधरः: one who bears the form of a fish
• मीनरूपधरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मीन (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (कृदन्त, धृ-धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनम्; 'मीनरूपं धरति' (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• लोडयामास: agitated/rolled about
• लोडयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लोडय्/लोड् (धातु, causative sense)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः, प्रथमा-पुरुषः, एकवचनम् (Perfect, 3rd person, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• अर्वणम्: Arvaṇa (proper name)
• अर्वणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्वण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• वेदान्: the Vedas
• वेदान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-बहुवचनम् (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• ददृशे: saw
• ददृशे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (आत्मनेपदम्), प्रथमा-पुरुषः, एकवचनम् (Perfect, 3rd person, Singular; 'saw')

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देश-अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• पाताले: in the netherworld
• पाताले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी-एकवचनम् (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• निहितान्: placed/hidden
• निहितान्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकृदन्तम्; पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-बहुवचनम् (past participle; Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• प्रभुः: the Lord
• प्रभुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced, Purāṇic narrative style within Āvantya-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Matsya-avatāra kathā within Revā-khaṇḍa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu takes the form of a fish, moves through the dark waters of Pātāla, churns/searches the depths, and beholds the Vedas concealed there.

Characters & Entities

• Matsya (fish-form)
• Veda
• Pātāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge (the Vedas) is divinely protected; when it is obscured, the Lord restores it.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Revā-khaṇḍa’s larger praise of Revā/Narmadā, but the immediate scene is cosmic (Pātāla), not a named riverbank tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the retrieval of the Vedas.