Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

अग्निराहवनीयस्तु दक्षिणाग्निस्तथैव च । गार्हपत्यस्तृतीयस्तु त्रैलोक्यं यैश्च धार्यते

Transliteration

agnirāhavanīyastu dakṣiṇāgnistathaiva ca | gārhapatyastṛtīyastu trailokyaṃ yaiśca dhāryate

Translation

Agni erscheint als das Āhavanīya-Feuer und ebenso als das Dakṣiṇa-Feuer; und als drittes als das Gārhapatya. Durch diese heiligen Feuer wird die Ordnung der drei Welten getragen.

Word by Word

• अग्निः: Agni
• अग्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• आहवनीयः: Āhavanīya (sacrificial fire)
• आहवनीयः: Pratipadyartha (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहवनीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular (name of a fire)

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय

• दक्षिणाग्निः: Dakṣiṇāgni (southern fire)
• दक्षिणाग्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• तथा: thus, likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• गार्हपत्यः: Gārhapatya (household fire)
• गार्हपत्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गार्हपत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular (name of a fire)

• तृतीयः: third
• तृतीयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular; विशेषण

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय

• त्रैलोक्यम्: the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगुसमास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• यैः: by whom/which
• यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — Instrumental plural (relative pronoun)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• धार्यते: is sustained/borne
• धार्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — 3rd sg; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; speaker not explicit in the verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (mahārāja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual ground with three distinct fires: Āhavanīya (east), Dakṣiṇa (south), Gārhapatya (west/household), each personified as a small flame-deity, with the three worlds subtly indicated above.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Āhavanīya
• Dakṣiṇāgni
• Gārhapatya
• Trailokya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic order is supported by dharmic ritual life—Agni, in his three Vedic forms, symbolizes disciplined worship sustaining the worlds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is the Revā (Narmadā) region in the Revā Khaṇḍa, where Agni’s later tapas and boons unfold.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse recalls the triad of Vedic fires—Āhavanīya, Dakṣiṇa, and Gārhapatya—central to yajña and household sacrificial discipline.