Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अशेषधर्मकुशलाः सर्वशास्त्रविशारदाः । तपोज्ञाने महाख्याता ब्रह्मयज्ञपरायणाः । स्थापिता ऋषयः सर्वे सहस्राण्यष्टादशैव तु

Transliteration

aśeṣadharmakuśalāḥ sarvaśāstraviśāradāḥ | tapojñāne mahākhyātā brahmayajñaparāyaṇāḥ | sthāpitā ṛṣayaḥ sarve sahasrāṇyaṣṭādaśaiva tu

Translation

সেই সকলো ঋষি ধৰ্মৰ সকলো দিশত নিপুণ, সকলো শাস্ত্ৰত বিশাৰদ, তপ আৰু জ্ঞানত মহাপ্ৰসিদ্ধ, আৰু ব্ৰহ্মযজ্ঞত পৰায়ণ আছিল। তাত সকলো ঋষি প্ৰতিষ্ঠিত হ’ল—সংখ্যাত অষ্টাদশ সহস্ৰ।

Word by Word

• अशेषधर्मकुशलाः: skilled in all dharmas
• अशेषधर्मकुशलाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशेष (प्रातिपदिक) + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + कुशल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण

• सर्वशास्त्रविशारदाः: expert in all scriptures
• सर्वशास्त्रविशारदाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + विशारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• तपोज्ञाने: in austerity and knowledge
• तपोज्ञाने: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); द्वन्द्व (tapas and knowledge)

• महाख्याताः: greatly renowned
• महाख्याताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + ख्यात (कृदन्त; √ख्या, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• ब्रह्मयज्ञपरायणाः: devoted to brahma-yajña
• ब्रह्मयज्ञपरायणाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• स्थापिताः: were established
• स्थापिताः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + स्थापित (कृदन्त; णिच् + क्त)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (passive sense: 'were established')

• ऋषयः: sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: Sankhya (Number/संख्या)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन (Plural); संख्यावाचक-नाम

• अष्टादश: eighteen
• अष्टादश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्ट (संख्या) + दश (संख्या)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्द (numeral used adjectivally); नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचनस्य विशेषण (qualifying सहस्राणि)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अनुयोगबोधक (particle: 'but/indeed')

Speaker

Vyāsa (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic view of countless sages in forest hermitages: some teaching from palm-leaf manuscripts, some performing agnihotra, some in meditation; the scale suggests ‘eighteen thousand’ as a sea of ascetics.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Brahma-yajña
• Dharmāraṇya (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s greatness is upheld by communities devoted to Vedic learning (brahma-yajña), tapas, and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, portrayed as a vast ṛṣi-kṣetra populated by thousands of established sages.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Brahma-yajña—Vedic study/recitation (and teaching) as a sacred daily offering—is highlighted as their central commitment.