Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 138

Devanagari script

वेदो ब्राह्मणरूपेण सावित्री सव्यदक्षिणे । ओंकारोऽथ वषङ्कारः सर्वे रामं तदाऽव्रजन्

Transliteration

vedo brāhmaṇarūpeṇa sāvitrī savyadakṣiṇe | oṃkāro'tha vaṣaṅkāraḥ sarve rāmaṃ tadā'vrajan

Translation

Der Veda kam in der Gestalt eines Brāhmaṇa, und Sāvitrī stand zur Linken und zur Rechten; ebenso Oṃkāra und Vaṣaṭkāra—alle begleiteten damals Rāma.

Word by Word

• वेदः: the Veda
• वेदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ब्राह्मण-रूपेण: in the form of a brāhmaṇa
• ब्राह्मण-रूपेण: Karana (Instrument/Mode)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; ‘ब्राह्मणस्य रूपम्’ (in the form of a brāhmaṇa)

• सावित्री: Sāvitrī (Gāyatrī)
• सावित्री: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सावित्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सव्य-दक्षिणे: on the left and right (sides)
• सव्य-दक्षिणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; द्वन्द्व — ‘सव्ये च दक्षिणे च (पार्श्वे)’ (on the left and right sides)

• ओंकारः: Oṃkāra
• ओंकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओंकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — आरम्भ/अनन्तरार्थ (then/and then)

• वषट्कारः: the vaṣaṭ-call
• वषट्कारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वषट्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• रामम्: Rāma
• रामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• तदा: then/at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — ‘तदा’ (at that time)

• अव्रजन्: went (after)/followed
• अव्रजन्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद — ‘अव्रजन्’ (they went/followed)

Speaker

Narrator (within Ayodhyāmāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma proceeds while Veda appears as a radiant brāhmaṇa; Sāvitrī stands to one side; Oṃkāra and Vaṣaṭkāra appear as luminous syllabic beings or sages formed of script, all accompanying him.

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Brāhmaṇa
• Sāvitrī (Gāyatrī)
• Oṃkāra
• Vaṣaṭkāra
• Rāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rāma is portrayed as the living axis of Vedic dharma—Veda, mantra, and sacrificial utterance themselves honor and follow him.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā, celebrated as a city where Vedic revelation and mantric power are vividly present in the sacred history of Rāma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly references Vedic practice: Sāvitrī (Gāyatrī), Oṃkāra, and the yajña call Vaṣaṭ—core elements of mantra and sacrifice—though no step-by-step rite is given.