Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

अग्निजिह्वो दर्भरोमा ब्रह्मशीर्षो महातपाः । अहोरात्रेक्षणपरो वेदांगश्रुतिभूषणः

Transliteration

agnijihvo darbharomā brahmaśīrṣo mahātapāḥ | ahorātrekṣaṇaparo vedāṃgaśrutibhūṣaṇaḥ

Translation

Seine Zunge ist Feuer, seine Haare sind Darbha-Gras, sein Haupt ist Brahmā; von mächtiger Askese, wacht er Tag und Nacht, geschmückt mit den Śrutis und den Vedāṅgas.

Word by Word

• अग्निजिह्वः: one whose tongue is fire
• अग्निजिह्वः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + जिह्वा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अग्नेः जिह्वा)

• दर्भरोमा: one whose hair is darbha grass
• दर्भरोमा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्भ (प्रातिपदिक) + रोमन/रोमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दर्भस्य रोमा)

• ब्रह्मशीर्षः: one whose head is Brahman/the Veda
• ब्रह्मशीर्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + शीर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः शीर्षम्/शीर्षः)

• महातपाः: of great austerity
• महातपाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् तपाः)

• अहोरात्रेक्षणपरः: intent on watching day and night
• अहोरात्रेक्षणपरः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अहोरात्र (प्रातिपदिक) + ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिक) + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष-भावः: अहोरात्रे (निरन्तरं) ईक्षणे परः = तत्परः

• वेदांगश्रुतिभूषणः: one whose ornament is the Vedic limbs and śruti
• वेदांगश्रुतिभूषणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेदाङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक) + भूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वेदाङ्गश्रुतेः भूषणः)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhūdhara at Devikā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative iconographic tableau: Bhūdhara/Vārāha with a flame-like tongue (Agni), body textured like darbha grass, Brahmā enthroned as the crown/head; eyes open in perpetual day-night watch; garlands formed of śruti scrolls and vedāṅga emblems.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Darbha
• Brahmā
• Śruti
• Vedāṅga
• Bhūdhara (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld through tapas and Vedic discipline; the sacred is portrayed as inseparable from Vedic knowledge and ritual purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Bhūdhara/Yajñavarāha presence near Devikā in Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the verse sacralizes Vedic components (Agni, darbha, Śruti) as devotional contemplation.