Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

पश्यतस्तस्य राजेन्द्र ऋक्षशृङ्गो महातपाः । पञ्चत्वमगमच्छीघ्रं ध्यानयोगेन योगवित्

Transliteration

paśyatastasya rājendra ṛkṣaśṛṅgo mahātapāḥ | pañcatvamagamacchīghraṃ dhyānayogena yogavit

Translation

Ô roi, tandis qu’il regardait, le grand ascète Ṛkṣaśṛṅga—connaisseur du yoga—atteignit promptement « l’état des cinq » (la mort) par le yoga de la méditation.

Word by Word

• पश्यतः: while (he) was watching; of the onlooker
• पश्यतः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पश्यत् (कृदन्त; दृश्-धातोः शतृ)
• Form: षष्ठी-एकवचनम् (Genitive, Singular) — वर्तमानकृदन्तस्य (of one who is seeing)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी-एकवचनम् (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज-इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन-एकवचनम् (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• ऋक्षशृङ्गः: Ṛkṣaśṛṅga (name of a sage)
• ऋक्षशृङ्गः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋक्ष-शृङ्ग (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• महातपाः: great ascetic
• महातपाः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महातपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (Masculine, Nominative, Singular) — कर्तृ-विशेषणम् (one of great austerity)

• पञ्चत्वम्: the state of five elements; death
• पञ्चत्वम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular) — गत्यर्थकर्म (state reached)

• अगमत्: went; attained
• अगमत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुषः एकवचनम् (3rd person singular)

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Sambandha (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्रम् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्ययम् (adverb)

• ध्यानयोगेन: by the yoga of meditation
• ध्यानयोगेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्यान-योग (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया-एकवचनम् (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular) — करण (by means of)

• योगवित्: knower of yoga
• योगवित्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगविद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (Masculine, Nominative, Singular) — कर्तृ-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; addressing the king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king is directly addressed in the verse (राजेन्द्र), likely the in-text interlocutor of the Revā-khaṇḍa narration

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ṛkṣaśṛṅga sits or lies in meditative absorption; breath subtle, face serene; the onlooker watches as life departs quietly, the environment becoming still.

Characters & Entities

• R̥kṣaśṛṅga
• Citraseṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A perfected yogin may meet death with inner mastery, turning the moment into a meditative transition rather than panic.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse does not name a tīrtha; it remains within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external ritual; the ‘practice’ indicated is dhyāna-yoga (meditative absorption).