Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

स चौंकारमयोऽतीतो गायत्रीमसृजद्द्विजः । स तया सार्द्धमीशानश्चिक्रीड पुरुषो विराट्

Transliteration

sa cauṃkāramayo'tīto gāyatrīmasṛjaddvijaḥ | sa tayā sārddhamīśānaścikrīḍa puruṣo virāṭ

Translation

Jener transzendente Herr, dessen Wesen die heilige Silbe Oṃ ist, ließ Gāyatrī hervorgehen. Dann spielte Īśāna—die kosmische Person namens Virāṭ—in göttlichem Spiel mit ihr.

Word by Word

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

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• ओंकारमयः: made of Oṃ; Oṃ-formed
• ओंकारमयः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ओंकार (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘ओंकार-मय’ = ओंकाररूपः (consisting of Oṃ)

• अतीतः: transcended; beyond
• अतीतः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (उपसर्ग) + √इ (धातु) → अतीत (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त (past participle) ‘अतीत’ = अतिक्रान्तः (transcended)

• गायत्रीम्: Gāyatrī
• गायत्रीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• असृजत्: created; emitted
• असृजत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √सृज् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• द्विजः: the twice-born; Brahman-like
• द्विजः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणवत् (epithet)

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

• तया: with her
• तया: Sahartha/Instrument (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘तया’ = तेन सह/तस्याः सह (with her/by her)

• सार्द्धम्: together with
• सार्द्धम्: Avyaya (Association marker/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्द्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक-अव्यय (with, together)

• ईशानः: the Lord
• ईशानः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईशान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘ईशान’ = प्रभुः/ईश्वरः

• चिक्रीड: played; sported
• चिक्रीड: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √क्रीड् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पुरुषः: the Person
• पुरुषः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विराट्: Virāṭ (cosmic form)
• विराट्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विराज्/विराट् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणवत् (epithet)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (contextual; likely a Sūta-style narrator addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous Īśāna/Virāṭ figure radiating Oṃ, with Gāyatrī personified as a radiant goddess; the two engage in cosmic līlā amid emerging light.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃ (Praṇava)
• Gāyatrī
• Īśāna
• Virāṭ Puruṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Creation is presented as divine līlā: the transcendent Lord manifests sacred power (Gāyatrī) from Oṃ and sustains the cosmos through conscious play.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is within the Revā Khaṇḍa framework connected to the Revā/Narmadā sacred region, though the specific tīrtha is not named in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse highlights Oṃ and Gāyatrī, implying their sanctity for japa and contemplation.