Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

तदा दृष्टो महाविष्णुर्ध्यानस्थोऽसौ जनार्दनः । ध्यात्वा कृत्यसमाकारं सशरं दैत्यसूदनम्

Transliteration

tadā dṛṣṭo mahāviṣṇurdhyānastho'sau janārdanaḥ | dhyātvā kṛtyasamākāraṃ saśaraṃ daityasūdanam

Translation

Da erblickten sie Mahāviṣṇu—Janārdana—tief in Meditation versunken; innerlich hatte er die dem Werk gemäße Gestalt erwogen: den Dämonentöter, mit Pfeilen bewaffnet.

Word by Word

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• दृष्टः: was seen
• दृष्टः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘was seen/appeared’

• महाविष्णुः: Mahāviṣṇu
• महाविष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाविष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) = महा + विष्णु
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ध्यानस्थः: situated in meditation
• ध्यानस्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्यानस्थ (प्रातिपदिक) = ध्यान + स्थ
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• असौ: that (he)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• जनार्दनः: Janārdana
• जनार्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विष्णोः नाम

• ध्यात्वा: having meditated
• ध्यात्वा: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्या (धातु) → ध्यात्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• कृत्यसमाकारम्: the form resembling a kṛtyā
• कृत्यसमाकारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्यसमाकार (प्रातिपदिक) = कृत्य + समाकार
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-प्राय, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘समाकारः’ इति रूप-विशेषः

• सशरम्: with arrows
• सशरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सशर (प्रातिपदिक) = स + शर
• Form: द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (with arrows)

• दैत्यसूदनम्: the slayer of demons
• दैत्यसूदनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्यसूदन (प्रातिपदिक) = दैत्य + सूदन
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विष्णोः विशेषण/नाम

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Brahma Khaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a quiet forest-āśrama, Mahāviṣṇu sits motionless in deep meditation; his inner vision holds the warrior-form—bow and arrows—yet his outer body is serene, radiant, and unmoving as devas behold him in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Mahāviṣṇu
• Janārdana
• Hari
• Daityasūdana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine action arises from inner stillness—Hari assumes the exact form needed to protect dharma after establishing himself in meditation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage sits in the Dharmāraṇya setting; this verse mainly highlights Hari’s yogic composure rather than naming a distinct tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; the verse sets the narrative context for a deva-kārya connected with yajña.