Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

तद्यानस्य गतिर्मंदा संजाता किल भारत । मंदशब्दानि वाद्यानि मातंगा मंदगामिनः

Transliteration

tadyānasya gatirmaṃdā saṃjātā kila bhārata | maṃdaśabdāni vādyāni mātaṃgā maṃdagāminaḥ

Translation

Ô Bhārata, la marche de ce char devint vraiment lente ; les instruments résonnèrent d’un son assourdi, et les éléphants eux aussi avancèrent d’un pas doux et ralenti.

Word by Word

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषणम् (genitive determiner)

• यानस्य: of the vehicle/chariot
• यानस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• गतिः: movement, pace
• गतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• मन्दā: slow
• मन्दā: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying गति)

• संजाता: arose, came to be
• संजाता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+जन् (धातु) → संजात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः; 'arose/occurred'

• किल: indeed, it is said
• किल: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), कथन-प्रमाण/श्रुत्यर्थे

• भारत: O Bhārata
• भारत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• मन्दशब्दानि: having soft/low sounds
• मन्दशब्दानि: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्द-शब्द (प्रातिपदिक; components: मन्द + शब्द)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying वाद्यानि)

• वाद्यानि: musical instruments
• वाद्यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• मातङ्गाः: elephants
• मातङ्गाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• मन्दगामिनः: slow-moving
• मन्दगामिनः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्द-गामिन् (प्रातिपदिक; components: मन्द + गामिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying मातङ्गाः)

Speaker

Narrator (addressing ‘Bhārata’ as listener in the frame narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmakṣetra (within Dharmāraṇya)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal conveyance nearing a sacred boundary: drums and conches muted, elephants stepping slowly, dust settling, attendants turning quiet as if an unseen sanctity presses upon the procession.

Characters & Entities

• Bhārata (addressee)
• mātaṅga (elephants)
• vādyāni (instruments)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places transform one’s outward momentum into inward reverence; even the procession becomes subdued in a sacred zone.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dharmāraṇya kṣetra, whose sanctity is implied by the sudden slowing and quieting within its boundary.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it describes omens/atmospheric signs associated with sacred space.