Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

अग्निर्जातः स भूतानां मनुष्यासुररक्षसाम् । सर्वदेवाधिदेवश्च आदित्यस्तेन चोच्यते

Transliteration

agnirjātaḥ sa bhūtānāṃ manuṣyāsurarakṣasām | sarvadevādhidevaśca ādityastena cocyate

Translation

Er wurde zum Feuer für alle Wesen—bei Menschen, Asuras und Rākṣasas gleichermaßen; und weil er der oberste Herr aller Götter ist, wird er daher Āditya, die Sonne, genannt.

Word by Word

• अग्निः: Agni, fire
• अग्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• जातः: born, arisen
• जातः: Kriya-visheshana (Predicative/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √जन् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेयविशेषणम् (अग्निः) — 'born'

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• भूतानाम्: of beings
• भूतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• मनुष्य: of humans
• मनुष्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; समासपूर्वपद-भावे

• असुर: of asuras
• असुर: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; समासपूर्वपद-भावे

• रक्षसाम्: of rākṣasas
• रक्षसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• सर्वदेवाधिदेवः: supreme deity over all gods
• सर्वदेवाधिदेवः: Samanaadhikarana (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः — 'सर्वदेवानाम् अधिदेवः' (over-god of all gods)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक)

• आदित्यः: Āditya, the Sun
• आदित्यः: Samanaadhikarana (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तेन: by him/therefore
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/पादपूरण)

• उच्यते: is called
• उच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु) (उच्यते—कर्मणि प्रयोगः)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि (passive)

Speaker

Deductive: Purāṇic narrator (likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa) within Revā Khaṇḍa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The radiant being is shown as twofold: as Agni—flame rising from an altar touching all classes of beings—and as Āditya—sun-disc crowned, presiding over gods, casting equal light on humans, asuras, and rākṣasas.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Āditya (Sūrya)
• Manuṣya
• Asura
• Rākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Sun is not merely a planet but a divine principle: the universal fire and the sovereign power sustaining all classes of beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not a single tirtha is named in this verse; it functions as Sūrya-stuti within the Revā (Narmadā) sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite here; it establishes the theological basis for Sūrya-pūjā and related vows.