Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 179

Devanagari script

पक्षिराजसमारूढं त्रैलोक्यवरदायकम् । पितामहं ततो ध्यायेद्धंसस्थं चतुराननम्

Transliteration

pakṣirājasamārūḍhaṃ trailokyavaradāyakam | pitāmahaṃ tato dhyāyeddhaṃsasthaṃ caturānanam

Translation

Meditiere den Herrn, der auf dem König der Vögel reitet, den Spender von Gnaden für die drei Welten; dann meditiere den Pitāmaha (Brahmā), auf einem Schwan sitzend, den Viergesichtigen.

Word by Word

• पक्षिराजसमारूढम्: mounted on the king of birds (Garuḍa)
• पक्षिराजसमारूढम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pakṣirāja (प्रातिपदिक) + samārūḍha (कृदन्त; सम्-आ-√ruh धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषार्थे—पक्षिराजे समारूढः (mounted on the king of birds); विशेषण (qualifying pitāmaham)

• त्रैलोक्यवरदायकम्: giver of boons to the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्यवरदायकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: trailokya (प्रातिपदिक) + varadāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (त्रैलोक्यस्य वरदायकः); विशेषण

• पितामहम्: Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• पितामहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ब्रह्मणः नाम

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अनन्तरवाचक (then, thereafter)

• ध्यायेत्: should meditate
• ध्यायेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhyai (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• हंसस्थम्: seated on a swan
• हंसस्थम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: haṃsa (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (कृदन्त; √sthā धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषार्थे—हंसे स्थितः (seated on a swan); विशेषण (qualifying pitāmaham)

• चतुराननम्: the four-faced one
• चतुराननम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक) + ānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि—चत्वारि आननानि यस्य सः

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Trimūrti-dhyāna (as vrata-aṅga in Revā-khaṇḍa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpasattama

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A visionary tableau: Viṣṇu seated upon Garuḍa soaring above the three worlds, granting boons; beneath, Brahmā four-faced on a white swan upon a lotus-lake; the devotee meditates in the foreground, linking the cosmic hierarchy to inner stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Garuḍa
• Viṣṇu (implied by Garuḍa)
• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Haṃsa
• Caturānana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contemplation expands from a personal iṣṭa-devatā to cosmic governance—boon-giving Lord and creator Brahmā—cultivating reverence for divine order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tirtha is named; the verse is a dhyāna instruction within the Revā Khaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sequential meditation: first on the Garuḍa-mounted boon-giver, then on Brahmā seated on a swan with four faces.