Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मणो वाहनं जातः पुरा तप्त्वा तपो महत् । सैकदा विधिनिर्देशं विना वैयग्र्यमास्थितः

Transliteration

brahmaṇo vāhanaṃ jātaḥ purā taptvā tapo mahat | saikadā vidhinirdeśaṃ vinā vaiyagryamāsthitaḥ

Translation

Nachdem er einst große Askese (tapas) geübt hatte, wurde er zum Reittier Brahmās. Doch einmal, die vorgeschriebenen Gebote missachtend, verfiel er in Unruhe und Erregung.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• वाहनम्: vehicle, mount
• वाहनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; यहाँ प्रथमा—सम्बोधन/विधेय (predicate noun)

• जातः: became/was born
• जातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) + त (कृत्)
• Form: क्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly, once
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• तप्त्वा: having practiced (austerity)
• तप्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाले क्रिया (having performed austerity)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• महत्: great
• महत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying tapas)

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

• एकदा: once
• एकदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: once)

• विधिनिर्देशम्: instruction of rule/ordinance
• विधिनिर्देशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि + निर्देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विधेः निर्देशः)

• विना: without
• विना: Nishedha/Apavarga (Exclusion)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश-अव्यय; वियोग/अभावार्थे (without)

• वैयग्र्यम्: restlessness, agitation
• वैयग्र्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैयग्र्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म

• आस्थितः: assumed, took to
• आस्थितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + स्था (धातु) + त (कृत्)
• Form: क्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि—'entered/assumed'

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (narrating)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Haṃseśvara (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant swan performing austerities near water and lotuses, then depicted as Brahmā’s mount beside the four-faced creator; a subtle shift shows the swan becoming restless, wings half-spread, eyes unsettled—signaling ‘vaiyagrya’.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Haṃsa (swan, implied)
• Haṃseśvara (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even exalted status gained through tapas must be safeguarded by adherence to dharmic order (vidhi); neglect leads to inner disturbance that tīrtha narratives later resolve.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Haṃseśvara tīrtha, introduced through the legend of the haṃsa connected to Brahmā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied prescription: follow vidhi (scriptural/ritual injunctions); the verse sets up the moral cause for subsequent tīrtha-related remedy.