Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

परां चतुर्मुखोत्पत्तिकल्पसंकल्पनामिव । शरणं स जगामाशु विनीतात्मा स्तुवन्निति

Transliteration

parāṃ caturmukhotpattikalpasaṃkalpanāmiva | śaraṇaṃ sa jagāmāśu vinītātmā stuvanniti

Translation

Entonces, con el corazón humillado, buscó pronto refugio—tan excelso como el designio creador que hace surgir al Brahmā de cuatro rostros—y comenzó a alabarle así.

Word by Word

• parām: supreme; highest
• parām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (संकल्पनाम् इति विशेषणम्)

• catur: four
• catur: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (संख्यावाचक प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; समासपूर्वपद

• mukha: face; mouth
• mukha: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक — समासमध्यपद

• utpatti: origin; creation
• utpatti: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: utpatti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक — समासमध्यपद

• kalpa: aeon; kalpa
• kalpa: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक — समासमध्यपद

• saṃkalpanām: a conception (as vast as) the creation of four-faced (Brahmā) in a kalpa
• saṃkalpanām: Upamāna (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkalpanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समस्तपद (catur-mukha-utpatti-kalpa-saṃkalpanā)

• iva: like
• iva: Upamā-dyotaka (Comparator/उपमाद्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमावाचक

• śaraṇam: refuge
• śaraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• jagāma: went; approached
• jagāma: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• āśu: quickly
• āśu: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āśu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• vinītātmā: one of disciplined self
• vinītātmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vinīta (कृदन्त; √nī/नी with vi-) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः— 'विनीतः आत्मा यस्य सः' (one whose self is disciplined)

• stuvan: praising
• stuvan: Kriyā-sahakārī (Concomitant action/सहक्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: stuvan (कृदन्त; √stu/स्तु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रियासहचारी (concomitant participle)

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākya-parisamāpti (Discourse marker/वाक्यसमाप्ति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक/उद्धरणचिह्न (quotative/end marker)

Speaker

Narrator (transition into Śiva’s hymn)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee (or deity) with bowed head and folded hands approaches the radiant Viṣṇu; behind, a subtle cosmic tableau hints at Brahmā’s origin—lotus/creation symbolism—signifying the Lord as the source and refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Caturmukha (Brahmā)
• Viṣṇu (implied)
• Śiva (implied as the upcoming speaker)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humility and refuge (śaraṇāgati) are presented as the doorway to authentic praise and grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā, as the devotional setting where surrender and stuti unfold.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the implied practice is stuti (hymnic praise) with a humble mind.