Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

महाशृङ्गे समासीनं रुद्रकोटिसमन्वितम् । महादेवं महात्मानमीशानमजमव्ययम्

Transliteration

mahāśṛṅge samāsīnaṃ rudrakoṭisamanvitam | mahādevaṃ mahātmānamīśānamajamavyayam

Translation

（我见）大天（Mahādeva）端坐于高峰之上，亿万鲁陀罗侍从左右——大天，伟大之灵的主宰，伊沙那（Īśāna），不生不灭。

Word by Word

• महाशृङ्गे: on the great peak
• महाशृङ्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-शृङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• समासीनम्: seated
• समासीनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आस् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• रुद्रकोटिसमन्वितम्: accompanied by crores of Rudras
• रुद्रकोटिसमन्वितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुद्र-कोटि-समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक; रुद्र + कोटि + समन्वित)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• महादेवम्: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• महादेवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• महात्मानम्: the great-souled one
• महात्मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ईशानम्: Īśāna; the Lord
• ईशानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईशान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• अजम्: unborn
• अजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• अव्ययम्: imperishable
• अव्ययम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahāśṛṅga of Trikūṭa (darśana-sthala)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Frame audience (later explicit: Yudhiṣṭhira and kin)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva seated in yogic majesty atop a vast peak, surrounded by countless Rudras—some fierce, some serene—forming a halo-like congregation; the mountain itself glows, as if lit from within.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva
• Īśāna
• Rudras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is the imperishable Lord beyond birth, yet manifest with countless divine powers (Rudras) in sacred space.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The great peak (mahāśṛṅga) associated with Trikūṭa is presented as the seat of Mahādeva’s divine assembly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the emphasis is on darśana—beholding the Lord in his sacred abode.