Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

यथाग्नेरर्चिषः पीताः पिङ्गलारुणधूसराः । तथापि नाग्नितो भिन्नास्तथैतद्ब्रह्मणो जगत्

Transliteration

yathāgnerarciṣaḥ pītāḥ piṅgalāruṇadhūsarāḥ | tathāpi nāgnito bhinnāstathaitadbrahmaṇo jagat

Translation

Wie die Flammen des Feuers gelb, fahl, rot oder rauchig erscheinen mögen und doch nicht vom Feuer getrennt sind, so ist auch diese Welt nicht von Brahman getrennt.

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Comparison marker (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा/तुलना (comparative particle)

• अग्नेः: of fire
• अग्नेः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• अर्चिषः: flames
• अर्चिषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्चिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पीताः: yellow
• पीताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural) (अर्चिषः इति विशेष्येण सह लिङ्ग-समन्वयः; पाठभेदे स्त्री. 'पीताः/पीताः' प्रयोगः)

• पिङ्गल-आरुण-धूसराः: tawny, reddish, and greyish
• पिङ्गल-आरुण-धूसराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पिङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक) + आरुण (प्रातिपदिक) + धूसर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुवचन (Plural), प्रथमा (Nominative); विशेषण-समाहार-द्वन्द्वः (copulative adjectives)

• तथा: so, likewise
• तथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (particle: also/even)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• अग्नितः: from fire
• अग्नितः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• भिन्नाः: separate
• भिन्नाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिद् (धातु) → भिन्न (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahman
• ब्रह्मणः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• जगत्: world
• जगत्: Predicate nominal (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (Revā-khaṇḍa narrative voice; Vedāntic conclusion)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha-samūha (general)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred fire (homa or lamp) whose flames show multiple hues—golden, tawny, red, smoky—yet all rise from one fire; the teacher indicates the unity behind color-forms.

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Agni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Varied appearances do not imply separate reality; the world remains non-different from Brahman.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None explicitly; the verse is doctrinal within the Revā-khaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a metaphysical teaching using the fire-flame illustration.