Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

उद्वसं तत्समालोक्य विष्णुर्वचनमब्रवीत् । क्व च ते ब्राह्मणाः सर्वे ऋषीणामाश्रमे पुनः

Transliteration

udvasaṃ tatsamālokya viṣṇurvacanamabravīt | kva ca te brāhmaṇāḥ sarve ṛṣīṇāmāśrame punaḥ

Translation

Voyant que le lieu était devenu désert, Viṣṇu dit : «Et où sont donc tous ces brāhmaṇas à présent—retournés aux āśramas des ṛṣis ?»

Word by Word

• उद्वसम्: Udvasa (proper name)
• उद्वसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उद्वस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular (name/term: Udvasa)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Pronoun, accusative singular neuter

• समालोक्य: having seen
• समालोक्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + आ + लोक् (धातु) → समालोक्य (कृदन्त, ल्यप्)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-रूपकृदन्त (ल्यप्/gerund) — having looked at/observed

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• वचनम्: words; speech
• वचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular

• अब्रवीत्: spoke
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Imperfect, 3rd person singular: ‘said/spoke’

• क्व: where?
• क्व: Avyaya (Interrogative/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — प्रश्नवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb: where?)

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Connector/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction: and)

• ते: those
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Pronoun, nominative plural masculine (‘they’/‘those’)

• ब्राह्मणाः: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Nominative plural

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Adjective, nominative plural; qualifies ब्राह्मणाः

• ऋषीणाम्: of the sages
• ऋषीणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन — Genitive plural

• आश्रमे: in the hermitage
• आश्रमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन — Locative singular

• पुनः: again; then
• पुनः: Avyaya (Adverbial/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — क्रियाविशेषण (again; moreover)

Speaker

Viṣṇu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A quiet, emptied forest clearing with abandoned ritual space; Viṣṇu stands contemplative, speaking, while the background shows distant hermitages and signs of recent flight.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Brāhmaṇāḥ
• Ṛṣi-āśrama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is measured by the safety and flourishing of brāhmaṇas and āśramas; the Lord actively inquires into their welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya and its ṛṣi-āśramas, presented as a protected sacred landscape under divine oversight.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse emphasizes safeguarding the āśrama community.