Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

शीघ्रं गत्वा ततोऽपश्यद्ब्राह्मणं ब्रह्मतेजसा । हाहा कष्टं कृतं मेऽद्य येनासौ घातितो द्विजः

Transliteration

śīghraṃ gatvā tato'paśyadbrāhmaṇaṃ brahmatejasā | hāhā kaṣṭaṃ kṛtaṃ me'dya yenāsau ghātito dvijaḥ

Translation

Eilig ging er dorthin und erblickte einen Brāhmaṇa, strahlend im Glanz des Brahman. „Weh! Welch schweres Werk habe ich heute getan, wodurch jener Zweimalgeborene getroffen wurde!“

Word by Word

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-द्वितीया एकवचन (adverbial accusative: quickly)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकाल (having gone)

• ततः: then; from there
• ततः: Adverbial (देश/क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (then/from there)

• अपश्यत्: he saw
• अपश्यत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत/imperf.), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ब्राह्मणम्: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative sg.)

• ब्रह्मतेजसा: by Brahmanic radiance
• ब्रह्मतेजसा: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मणः तेजसा (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• हाहा: alas!
• हाहा: Sambodhana/Exclamation (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हाहा (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: उद्गार-निपात (interjection)

• कष्टम्: misfortune
• कष्टम्: Karma/Predicate nominal (कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कृतम्: has been done
• कृतम्: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मे: by me; for me
• मे: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive/dative enclitic)

• अद्य: today
• अद्य: Adverbial (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (today/now)

• येन: by whom; whereby
• येन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental sg.)

• असौ: that (person)
• असौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative sg.)

• घातितः: was killed
• घातितः: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: घातय् (णिच्) ← हन् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग

• द्विजः: the Brahmin (twice-born)
• द्विजः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative sg.)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, third-person narration within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-khaṇḍa (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king rushes into a clearing and sees a radiant brāhmaṇa; the king’s face collapses into remorse as he realizes the victim’s identity.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Immediate remorse and recognition of dharma are the first steps toward purification when a grave wrong has occurred.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage sits in the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā sacred geography), though this verse itself focuses on the ethical crisis rather than naming a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces the recognition of brahmahatyā and the need for expiation.