Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

वसिष्ठं चाग्रतः कृत्वा प्रतस्थे पश्चिमां दिशम् । ग्रामाद्ग्राममतिक्रम्य देशाद्देशं वनाद्वनम्

Transliteration

vasiṣṭhaṃ cāgrataḥ kṛtvā pratasthe paścimāṃ diśam | grāmādgrāmamatikramya deśāddeśaṃ vanādvanam

Translation

Avec Vasiṣṭha placé en tête, il s’avança vers le quartier de l’ouest, franchissant de village en village, de pays en pays, de forêt en forêt.

Word by Word

• वसिष्ठम्: Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अग्रतः: in front
• अग्रतः: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्रतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• कृत्वा: having placed
• कृत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; धातु: कृ

• प्रतस्थे: set out
• प्रतस्थे: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-स्था (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: स्था (गत्यर्थ)

• पश्चिमाम्: western
• पश्चिमाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Acc. sg.); विशेषणम्

• दिशम्: direction
• दिशम्: Karma (Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

• ग्रामात्: from a village
• ग्रामात्: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Abl. sg.)

• ग्रामम्: to (another) village
• ग्रामम्: Karma (Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

• अतिक्रम्य: passing beyond, traversing
• अतिक्रम्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अति-क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष (gerund) ‘अतिक्रम्य’; धातु: क्रम्

• देशात्: from a region
• देशात्: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Abl. sg.)

• देशम्: to (another) region
• देशम्: Karma (Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

• वनात्: from a forest
• वनात्: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Abl. sg.)

• वनम्: to (another) forest
• वनम्: Karma (Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vasiṣṭha leads a long caravan moving westward; the landscape shifts in panels—villages with fields, then open country, then dense forests—showing the continuity of the sacred journey.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Vasiṣṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is portrayed as sustained dharmic effort—crossing many landscapes under a guru’s lead.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions as a travel-frame leading into Dharmāraṇya’s sacred geography rather than naming a single tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated here; the emphasis is on the disciplined progression of yātrā (pilgrimage travel).