Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

वायूपदेशाद्गरुडं सस्मार राघवस्तदा । नागपाशविमोक्षार्थं दशम्यां गरु डोऽभ्यगात्

Transliteration

vāyūpadeśādgaruḍaṃ sasmāra rāghavastadā | nāgapāśavimokṣārthaṃ daśamyāṃ garu ḍo'bhyagāt

Translation

Da, auf Vāyus Weisung, gedachte Rāghava des Garuḍa und rief ihn an; um vom Schlangenseil befreit zu werden, erschien Garuḍa am zehnten Tithi.

Word by Word

• वायूपदेशात्: from the instruction of Vāyu
• वायूपदेशात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु-उपदेश (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; वायु-उपदेशः = वायोः उपदेशः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• गरुडम्: Garuḍa
• गरुडम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गरुड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• सस्मार: remembered / called to mind
• सस्मार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• राघवः: Rāghava (Rāma)
• राघवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• नागपाशविमोक्षार्थम्: for the purpose of release from the serpent-noose
• नागपाशविमोक्षार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग-पाश-विमोक्ष-अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; (नागपाशस्य विमोक्षः) तस्य अर्थः = प्रयोजनम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-परम्परा)

• दशम्याम्: on the tenth (lunar day)
• दशम्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/Time-adhikaraṇa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन (तिथिवाचक)

• गरुडः: Garuḍa
• गरुडः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गरुड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अभ्यगात्: came / approached
• अभ्यगात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-गम् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Brāhma Khaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāghava, following Vāyu’s counsel, performs focused remembrance; Garuḍa descends with outspread wings, breaking a serpent-noose that binds or threatens.

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu
• Garuḍa
• Rāma (Rāghava)
• Nāgapāśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Grace arrives through right counsel and remembrance of divine support; dharma is protected when invoked with clarity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the focus is on divine intervention in the Laṅkā war narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the act is smaraṇa (devout remembrance/invocation).