Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मचर्यव्रतस्थानां व्रतब्रह्मविचारिणाम् । द्वादशैषां सहस्राणि सन्ति वै वृषभध्वज

Transliteration

brahmacaryavratasthānāṃ vratabrahmavicāriṇām | dvādaśaiṣāṃ sahasrāṇi santi vai vṛṣabhadhvaja

Translation

«Et parmi ceux qui sont établis dans le vœu de brahmacarya—ceux qui méditent la discipline sacrée et Brahman—il y en a vraiment douze mille, ô Seigneur au Taureau pour étendard.»

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मचर्यव्रतस्थानाम्: of those established in the vow of celibacy
• ब्रह्मचर्यव्रतस्थानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmacarya (प्रातिपदिक) + vrata (प्रातिपदिक) + sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्मचर्यस्य व्रतस्य स्थानम्)

• व्रतब्रह्मविचारिणाम्: of those who contemplate vow and brahman
• व्रतब्रह्मविचारिणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक) + brahma (प्रातिपदिक) + vicārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (व्रतं ब्रह्म च विचारयन्ति/विचारिणः)

• द्वादश: twelve
• द्वादश: Visheshana (Numeral qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचनार्थे (agreeing with सहस्राणि)

• एषाम्: of these
• एषाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सन्ति: are
• सन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक (indeed/emphatic particle)

• वृषभध्वज: O Bull-bannered one (Śiva)
• वृषभध्वज: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣabha (प्रातिपदिक) + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

Speaker

Nārada (addressing Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast yet orderly gathering of brahmacārins—simple dress, matted hair or neatly tied locks, carrying water-pots and staffs—while Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja) is addressed with reverence about their number and contemplative focus.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja)
• Brahmacārins

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Brahmacarya is upheld as a major dharmic pillar, sustained by contemplation and disciplined living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revākhaṇḍa setting frames the sanctity of hosting brahmacārins; no single named tīrtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is the observance of brahmacarya-vrata (celibate student/ascetic discipline).