Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

अथर्वांगिरसश्चैव वालखिल्या मरीचिपाः । मनोंऽतरिक्षं विद्याश्व वायुस्तेजो जलं मही

Transliteration

atharvāṃgirasaścaiva vālakhilyā marīcipāḥ | manoṃ'tarikṣaṃ vidyāśva vāyustejo jalaṃ mahī

Translation

Dort waren Atharvan und die Aṅgirases, ebenso die Vālakhilyas und die Marīcipas. Geist, Zwischenraum, Wissen, das Pferd, Wind, Feuer, Wasser und Erde waren als personifizierte Mächte zugegen.

Word by Word

• atharvā: Atharvan
• atharvā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: atharvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (वेदपुरुष/ऋषिनाम)

• aṅgirasaḥ: the Aṅgirases
• aṅgirasaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅgiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (वैकल्पिक-रूप; अङ्गिरसः = अङ्गिरसः/अङ्गिरसाः)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• vālakhilyāḥ: the Vālakhilyas
• vālakhilyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vālakhilya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• marīcipāḥ: Marīcipas (a class of sages)
• marīcipāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: marīcipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• manaḥ: mind
• manaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• antarikṣam: mid-space, atmosphere
• antarikṣam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antarikṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• vidyā: knowledge
• vidyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• aśvaḥ: horse
• aśvaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• vāyuḥ: wind
• vāyuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• tejaḥ: splendor, fire/energy
• tejaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• jalam: water
• jalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• mahī: earth
• mahī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced from Purāṇic frame; exact speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic assembly where sages sit alongside personified principles: Mind as a luminous figure, Wind as flowing blue-green, Fire as radiant red-gold, Water as translucent blue, Earth as green-brown stability; the hall becomes a mandala of elements.

Characters & Entities

• Atharvan
• Aṅgirases
• Vālakhilyas
• Marīcipas
• Vāyu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred assembly unites sages and cosmic principles, teaching that dharma embraces both realized seers and the very building-blocks of creation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is implied as the sanctified setting; no named bathing-place is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse presents a cosmological roll-call of sages and personified forces.