Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सर्वान् देवान् हृदि ध्यात्वा ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेश्वरान् । विचिक्षेप यदात्मानं प्रत्यक्षौ रुद्रकेशवौ । करे गृहीत्वा राजानं रुद्रो वचनमब्रवीत्

Transliteration

sarvān devān hṛdi dhyātvā brahmaviṣṇumaheśvarān | vicikṣepa yadātmānaṃ pratyakṣau rudrakeśavau | kare gṛhītvā rājānaṃ rudro vacanamabravīt

Translation

ولمّا تأمّل في قلبه جميع الآلهة—براهما وفيشنو وماهيشڤرا—وحين همَّ أن يطرح جسده، ظهر له رودرا وكيشافا عيانًا. فأخذ رودرا يدَ الملك وقال هذه الكلمات.

Word by Word

• sarvān: all
• sarvān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व, सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन; विशेषण (adjectival pronoun)

• devān: gods
• devān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (देव, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• hṛdi: in (his) heart
• hṛdi: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛd (हृद्, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• dhyātvā: having meditated
• dhyātvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhyai (ध्यै, धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• brahma-viṣṇu-maheśvarān: Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara
• brahma-viṣṇu-maheśvarān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (ब्रह्मन्) + viṣṇu (विष्णु) + maheśvara (महेश्वर) (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: समाहार/इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• vicikṣepa: he cast/threw
• vicikṣepa: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√kṣip (वि+क्षिप्, धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (यदा)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• ātmānam: himself
• ātmānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (आत्मन्, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• pratyakṣau: manifest/visible (two)
• pratyakṣau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratyakṣa (प्रत्यक्ष, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विशेषण

• rudra-keśavau: Rudra and Keśava
• rudra-keśavau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (रुद्र) + keśava (केशव) (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन

• kare: in/with the hand
• kare: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kara (कर, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• gṛhītvā: having seized
• gṛhītvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (ग्रह्, धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• rājānam: the king
• rājānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (राजन्, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• rudraḥ: Rudra
• rudraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (रुद्र, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vacanam: words/speech
• vacanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (वचन, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (ब्रू, धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) narrating

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tirtha milieu

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king seated in yogic stillness at the brink of self-release; Rudra and Keśava manifest tangibly, luminous, taking the king’s hand to halt the act.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu (Keśava)
• Śiva (Rudra/Maheśvara)
• Citrasena

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Intense devotion and inner meditation can culminate in direct divine encounter, but dharma is guided by divine instruction, not impulsive self-abandonment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting remains Bhṛgutuṅga/its kuṇḍa within Revā Khaṇḍa; the verse emphasizes darśana rather than naming a new tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Heart-centered meditation (hṛd-dhyāna) on Brahmā–Viṣṇu–Maheśvara is indicated; no formal rite is specified.