Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे तत्र गजासुरमपश्यत । तं दृष्ट्वा च महादैत्यं सर्वलोकैकपूजितः

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare tatra gajāsuramapaśyata | taṃ dṛṣṭvā ca mahādaityaṃ sarvalokaikapūjitaḥ

Translation

À cet instant même, il aperçut là Gajāsura ; et, voyant ce puissant asura, le Seigneur, vénéré par tous les mondes, se prépara à agir.

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (Singular)

• अन्तरे: in the interval, meanwhile
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘अन्तरे’ = ‘in the interval/meanwhile’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• गजासुरम्: Gajāsura (the elephant-demon)
• गजासुरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गजासुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—गजः + असुरः (गज-रूपः असुरः)

• अपश्यत: saw
• अपश्यत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); ‘having seen’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• महादैत्यम्: the great demon
• महादैत्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—महान् + दैत्यः

• सर्वलोकैकपूजितः: worshipped by all the worlds (uniquely revered)
• सर्वलोकैकपूजितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + लोक + एक + पूजित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √पूज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘पूजित’; समासः—सर्वलोकैः एकः (अद्वितीयः) इति/सर्वलोकानां एकः इति (अर्थानुसार) + पूजितः

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a sacred forest-court, the Lord beholds the elephant-demon Gajāsura; the atmosphere tightens as divine resolve gathers before action.

Characters & Entities

• Gajāsura
• Mahādeva (implied)
• Gaṇeśa (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When adharma rises powerfully, the Lord who is revered by all worlds intervenes to restore protection and order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Dharmāraṇya, a sanctified forest-region praised for dharmic power; this verse itself is narrative rather than a direct tīrtha-phalāśruti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces the demon Gajāsura and sets up the ensuing divine act.