Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

स ब्रह्मा स शिवः साक्षात्स च देवो जनार्दनः । त्रिविधं कारणं लोके धर्मपन्थानमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

sa brahmā sa śivaḥ sākṣātsa ca devo janārdanaḥ | trividhaṃ kāraṇaṃ loke dharmapanthānamuttamam

Translation

Il est Brahmā ; il est Śiva en vérité ; il est aussi le Seigneur Janārdana. Dans le monde, voici le triple fondement : la voie suprême du dharma.

Word by Word

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

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Pradhāna-nāma (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (ब्रह्मन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• śivaḥ: Śiva
• śivaḥ: Pradhāna-nāma (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (शिव प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sākṣāt: directly, indeed
• sākṣāt: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: 'directly/in person')

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

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction: 'and')

• devaḥ: god
• devaḥ: Pradhāna-nāma (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (देव प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• janārdanaḥ: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• janārdanaḥ: Pradhāna-nāma (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janārdana (जनार्दन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• trividham: threefold
• trividham: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: trividha (त्रिविध प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• kāraṇam: cause
• kāraṇam: Karta/karma (contextual; here predicate/topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (कारण प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• loke: in the world
• loke: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (लोक प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• dharma-panthānam: the path of dharma
• dharma-panthānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (धर्म) + panthāna (पन्थान्/पथिन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास

• uttamam: supreme
• uttamam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (उत्तम प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (dharma-panthānam)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha/Bhārata (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A single radiant figure or a triadic tableau: Brahmā (four-faced), Śiva (trident-bearing), and Janārdana (Viṣṇu with conch and discus) emerging from one luminous axis labeled ‘dharma-mārga’.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Śiva
• Janārdana (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It emphasizes a unifying vision of the divine—Brahmā, Śiva, and Viṣṇu—supporting dharma in the world.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named; it provides a doctrinal frame within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it teaches theological orientation as the basis for dharma.