Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

ततो विष्णुर्महातेजास्तीर्थस्योत्पादनेन च । तपस्तेपे तु वै तत्र धर्मारण्ये सुरेश्वरः । अश्वशीर्ष मुखं दृष्ट्वा हयग्रीवो जनार्द्दनः

Transliteration

tato viṣṇurmahātejāstīrthasyotpādanena ca | tapastepe tu vai tatra dharmāraṇye sureśvaraḥ | aśvaśīrṣa mukhaṃ dṛṣṭvā hayagrīvo janārddanaḥ

Translation

Alors Viṣṇu, puissant et rayonnant—afin aussi de faire naître un tīrtha, un gué sacré—accomplit des austérités là, dans Dharmāraṇya, Seigneur des dieux. Et voyant un visage à tête de cheval, Janārdana se manifesta en Hayagrīva.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla/Anvaya (Sequencing)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमबोधक (Sequencing adverb)

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• mahā-tejāḥ: of great splendor
• mahā-tejāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• tīrthasya: of the sacred ford/place
• tīrthasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (Neuter, Genitive, Singular)

• utpādanena: by producing/bringing forth
• utpādanena: Karaṇa/Hetu (Means/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: utpādana (प्रातिपदिक; उत्+पद्/उत्पाद्-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (Conjunction)

• tapaḥ: austerity; penance
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• tepe: performed (austerity)
• tepe: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्णभूत), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Perfect, Ātmanepada, 3rd person, Singular)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (Particle: 'but/indeed')

• vai: certainly
• vai: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक (Emphatic particle)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (Locative adverb)

• dharma-araṇye: in Dharmāraṇya (the forest of Dharma)
• dharma-araṇye: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + araṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• sura-īśvaraḥ: the lord of the gods
• sura-īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• aśva-śīrṣa: horse-headed
• aśva-śīrṣa: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aśva (प्रातिपदिक) + śīrṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• mukham: face
• mukham: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• haya-grīvaḥ: Hayagrīva
• haya-grīvaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haya (प्रातिपदिक) + grīva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• janārdanaḥ: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• janārdanaḥ: Apposition (Same subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janārdana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya-tīrtha (tīrthotpatti implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (addressed in next verse; continuity suggests the same addressee)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu, blazing with tejas, performs tapas in a forest; a horse-headed visage appears—Janārdana assumes Hayagrīva form as the tīrtha’s power awakens.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu (Janārdana)
• Hayagrīva
• Dharmāraṇya
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace can manifest through tapas, and sacred places (tīrthas) arise where the Lord undertakes spiritual acts for the welfare of the worlds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is explicitly named as the place where Viṣṇu performs tapas and where a tīrtha is brought forth.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is highlighted as the operative sacred act connected with tīrtha-creation.