Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

अगस्त्य उवाच । इत्युक्त्वा देवदेवोऽयं ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः । अन्तर्दधे सुरैः सार्द्धं तीर्थं दृष्ट्वा तपोधन

Transliteration

agastya uvāca | ityuktvā devadevo'yaṃ brahmā lokapitāmahaḥ | antardadhe suraiḥ sārddhaṃ tīrthaṃ dṛṣṭvā tapodhana

Translation

Agastya said: “Having spoken thus, this God of gods—Brahmā, the grandsire and father of the worlds—vanished along with the gods, after beholding the tīrtha, O treasure of austerity.”

Word by Word

• अगस्त्यः: Agastya
• अगस्त्यः: Kartā (speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (speech act)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• इति: thus
• इति: Quotation marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणार्थक अव्यय

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त-अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): ‘having said’

• देवदेवः: god of gods
• देवदेवः: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (देवानां देवः)

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Deictic qualifier
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (देवदेवः/ब्रह्मा)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Kartā (apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• लोकपितामहः: grandfather of the world
• लोकपितामहः: Kartā (apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक + पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (लोकस्य पितामहः)

• अन्तर्दधे: disappeared
• अन्तर्दधे: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अन्तर् + धा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• सुरैः: with the gods
• सुरैः: Sahakāraka (accompaniment)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sahakāraka (accompaniment)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: सह/साकं-अर्थक अव्यय (with, together)

• तीर्थम्: the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (object of seeing)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त-अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive): ‘having seen’

• तपोधन: O one whose wealth is austerity
• तपोधन: Sambodhana (address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् + धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; समासः—बहुव्रीहिः (तपः धनं यस्य)

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnamed kuṇḍa/tīrtha in Ayodhyā (contextually the kuṇḍa described next)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Tapodhana (addressed: 'O treasure of austerity')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya narrates: Brahmā, surrounded by devas, gazes upon the tīrtha; then Brahmā vanishes (antardhāna) in a burst of subtle light, leaving the sages in reverent stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Brahmā
• Devas
• Brahmakuṇḍa (tīrtha, implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine institutions of tīrthas are sanctified by the presence and sanction of the gods, then entrusted to the world for ongoing merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha just established and praised—Brahmakuṇḍa in Ayodhyā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new prescription; it narrates Brahmā’s departure after consecrating the tīrtha.