Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

तावत्पश्यामि गगने गृहं शृङ्गारभूषितम् । ततस्तज्ज्ञातुकामोऽहं प्रस्थितो राजसत्तम

Transliteration

tāvatpaśyāmi gagane gṛhaṃ śṛṅgārabhūṣitam | tatastajjñātukāmo'haṃ prasthito rājasattama

Translation

Da erblickte ich am Himmel ein Haus, geschmückt mit prächtigen Zierden. Begierig zu erfahren, was es sei, machte ich mich auf den Weg dorthin, o Bester der Könige.

Word by Word

• tāvat: then
• tāvat: Sambandha (Temporal relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (then/at that time)

• paśyāmi: I see
• paśyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paś (पश्)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• gagane: in the sky
• gagane: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gagana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• gṛham: a house
• gṛham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• śṛṅgāra-bhūṣitam: adorned with ornaments/decoration
• śṛṅgāra-bhūṣitam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śṛṅgāra (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūṣita (कृदन्त; √bhūṣ (भूष्))
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (शृङ्गारेण भूषितम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying gṛham)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Temporal relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (thereafter)

• tat: that (thing/house)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद (object of jñātu-kāma)

• jñātu-kāmaḥ: desiring to know
• jñātu-kāmaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jñātu (तुमुनन्त; √jñā (ज्ञा)) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुष (ज्ञातुं कामः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying aham)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• prasthitaḥ: set out/departed
• prasthitaḥ: Kriya (Resultant state/क्रियाफल)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√sthā (स्था)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त; past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (I) having set out

• rājasattama: O best of kings
• rājasattama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), पुंलिङ्ग, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (राज्ञां सत्तमः)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (rājasattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the open sky, a radiant mansion appears, richly adorned; the narrator, astonished, sets out toward it while addressing the king.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Auspicious visions arise for the devoted, and sincere spiritual curiosity leads one toward divine knowledge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to the Revā Khaṇḍa of the Āvantya Khaṇḍa, associated with the sacred Revā (Narmadā) region and its holy landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; it introduces a visionary journey motivated by the desire to understand a divine manifestation.