Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

तद्भृत्यः शबरः कश्चिद्विचरन्मृगयां वने । ददर्श जीर्णं स्फुटितं पतितं देवतालयम्

Transliteration

tadbhṛtyaḥ śabaraḥ kaścidvicaranmṛgayāṃ vane | dadarśa jīrṇaṃ sphuṭitaṃ patitaṃ devatālayam

Translation

Alors qu’il errait dans la forêt durant la chasse, un de ses serviteurs, un Śabara, aperçut un sanctuaire des dieux, délabré, fissuré et effondré.

Word by Word

• tadbhṛtyaḥ: his servant
• tadbhṛtyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad + bhṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘his servant’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• śabaraḥ: a Śabara (tribesman)
• śabaraḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śabara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kaścit: someone
• kaścit: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक-सर्वनाम (someone)

• vicaran: wandering
• vicaran: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + car (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle) — ‘wandering’

• mṛgayām: hunting
• mṛgayām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛgayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• vane: in the forest
• vane: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; √दृश्—‘saw’

• jīrṇam: dilapidated
• jīrṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jīrṇa (प्रातिपदिक; √jṛ + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (worn out/old)

• sphuṭitam: cracked
• sphuṭitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sphuṭita (प्रातिपदिक; √sphuṭ + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (cracked/broken)

• patitam: fallen
• patitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: patita (प्रातिपदिक; √pat + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (fallen)

• devatālayam: temple
• devatālayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā + ālaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘temple/abode of a deity’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual purāṇic voice; specific speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Śabara attendant pauses amid trees, staring at a cracked, collapsed devālaya—broken pillars, fallen śikhara stones, vines and moss—yet a faint divine presence lingers.

Characters & Entities

• Śabara
• Devatālaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even neglected sacred places can become sources of great merit when rediscovered and honored.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse mentions a fallen devatālaya but does not name a tīrtha; it introduces a sacred-site episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None yet; the ritual theme will follow from the discovery of the shrine.