Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

यद्भवान्भवभीतानां त्राता नयनगोचरः । कस्माद्देशादिहायातो भवान्भवभयापहः

Transliteration

yadbhavānbhavabhītānāṃ trātā nayanagocaraḥ | kasmāddeśādihāyāto bhavānbhavabhayāpahaḥ

Translation

Since you—the savior of those afraid of worldly existence—have come within my very sight, from what land have you arrived here, you who remove the fear of saṃsāra?

Word by Word

• yat: since/that (fact that)
• yat: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; correlating particle ‘since/that’ (elliptic)

• bhavān: you
• bhavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भवत्-शब्दः (honorific pronoun), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• bhava-bhītānām: of those afraid of worldly existence
• bhava-bhītānām: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक) + bhīta (कृदन्त)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः; ‘bhavena bhītāḥ’), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; dependent genitive with ‘trātā’

• trātā: protector, savior
• trātā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: trā (धातु) → trātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; agent noun

• nayana-gocaraḥ: visible to the eyes
• nayana-gocaraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nayana (प्रातिपदिक) + gocara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः; ‘nayanayoḥ gocaraḥ’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; qualifies ‘bhavān’

• kasmāt: from where?
• kasmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (ablative: ‘from what/whence’)

• deśāt: from (which) place
• deśāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• āyātaḥ: come
• āyātaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā + yā (धातु) → āyāta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; agrees with ‘bhavān’

• bhavān: you
• bhavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भवत्-शब्दः, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (repeated for emphasis)

• bhava-bhaya-apahaḥ: remover of fear of worldly existence
• bhava-bhaya-apahaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक) + bhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + apaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः; ‘bhavabhayaṃ apahanti’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; qualifies ‘bhavān’

Speaker

Unnamed petitioner/king (addressing Gautama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee, overwhelmed by relief, addresses the fear-dispelling savior now within sight, asking from which region he has come—an inquiry filled with reverence and hope.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Bhava (Saṃsāra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A realized sage is portrayed as a refuge who dispels existential fear; seeking such guidance is itself a dharmic turning point.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No explicit tīrtha is named; the verse centers on the saint’s presence as a source of protection.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is an inquiry expressing śaraṇāgati (seeking refuge).