Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

ततोऽन्यदिवसे वह्निर्द्विजरूपो महातपाः । राजानं प्रार्थयामास रहो गत्वा शनैः शनैः

Transliteration

tato'nyadivase vahnirdvijarūpo mahātapāḥ | rājānaṃ prārthayāmāsa raho gatvā śanaiḥ śanaiḥ

Translation

Dann, an einem anderen Tag, trat Vahni, der Feuergott, ein großer Asket, in der Gestalt eines Brahmanen zum König und trug ihm, im Verborgenen, leise seine Bitte vor.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): ‘thereupon/then’

• anya-divase: on another day
• anya-divase: Adhikarana (Location in time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक) + divasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (विशेषण-विशेष्यभाव): ‘on another day’

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

• dvija-rūpaḥ: in the form of a Brahmin
• dvija-rūpaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘having the form of a Brahmin’

• mahā-tapāḥ: greatly austere
• mahā-tapāḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास: ‘of great austerity’

• rājānam: the king
• rājānam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• prārthayāmāsa: entreated
• prārthayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√arth (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; causative sense not intended here—intensive/perfect periphrastic usage: ‘begged/entreated’

• rahaḥ: in private
• rahaḥ: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: rahas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): ‘in secret/privately’

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund): ‘having gone’

• śanaiḥ: slowly
• śanaiḥ: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śanais (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): ‘slowly/softly’

• śanaiḥ: very gently
• śanaiḥ: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śanais (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb), पुनरुक्ति (reduplication for emphasis)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) sphere

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant yet restrained ascetic-brāhmaṇa (Agni in disguise) approaches a king in a secluded palace corridor, speaking softly away from the court.

Characters & Entities

• Vahni (Agni)
• Duryodhana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Deities may test human dharma through disguises; a king’s response to a brāhmaṇa-request becomes a measure of righteousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is narrative; the Revā/Narmadā sacred region remains the implied backdrop.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the setup hints toward dāna/fulfillment of a petitioner’s request as a dharmic act.