Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

वसिष्ठोऽपि परिज्ञाय प्रेषितं गाधिसूनुना । ब्रह्मास्त्रं मृत्यवे तेन शुचिर्भूत्वा ततः परम्

Transliteration

vasiṣṭho'pi parijñāya preṣitaṃ gādhisūnunā | brahmāstraṃ mṛtyave tena śucirbhūtvā tataḥ param

Translation

وأدرك فَسِشْثَهُ أيضًا أن ابنَ غادهي (فيشفاميترا) قد أطلق «براهماأسترا» ليجلب الموت؛ فطهّر نفسه أولًا، ثم مضى قُدُمًا (ليدفعه).

Word by Word

• वसिष्ठः: Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also; even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्भावन/समुच्चयार्थ-निपात) = "also/even"

• परिज्ञाय: having understood
• परिज्ञाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) = having known; अव्ययभाव

• प्रेषितम्: sent; dispatched
• प्रेषितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-इष् (धातु) → प्रेषित (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (qualifying implied "अस्त्रम्")

• गाधिसूनुना: by the son of Gādhi (Viśvāmitra)
• गाधिसूनुना: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गाधि (प्रातिपदिक) + सूनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: गाधेः सूनुः = "son of Gādhi"

• ब्रह्मास्त्रम्: the Brahmā-weapon (brahmāstra)
• ब्रह्मास्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + अस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ब्रह्मणः अस्त्रम्

• मृत्यवे: for death; unto Death
• मृत्यवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• तेन: by that; with that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• शुचिः: pure
• शुचिः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (of Vasiṣṭha)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive) = having become

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)

• परम्: afterwards; further
• परम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (क्रियाविशेषण) = "afterwards/further" (accusative used adverbially)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator in Tīrthamāhātmya context; specific speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vasiṣṭha, serene and radiant, pauses amid chaos; he performs purification—calm posture, water vessel/ācamana gesture—before engaging the deadly Brahmāstra released by Viśvāmitra.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Viśvāmitra
• Gādhi
• Brahmāstra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even in crisis, spiritual power is grounded in purity and discernment; dharma begins with inner discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly named in this line; it supports the wider Tīrthamāhātmya narrative framework of the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied śauca (purificatory preparation) before deploying mantra/astric power; no explicit vrata or dāna is stated.