Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

यद्दृष्ट्वाथ द्विजाः सर्वे संसारभयबंधनम् । कुर्वते नैव यस्माच्च तस्मान्निखिलरक्षकम्

Transliteration

yaddṛṣṭvātha dvijāḥ sarve saṃsārabhayabaṃdhanam | kurvate naiva yasmācca tasmānnikhilarakṣakam

Translation

À sa vue, tous les dvijas ne façonnent plus le lien né de la peur du saṃsāra. C’est pourquoi il est le protecteur de tous.

Word by Word

• यत्: which/that (thing)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (relative pronoun)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त्वा), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक (then)

• द्विजाः: twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (द्विजाः)

• संसारभयबंधनम्: the bondage of fear of saṃsāra
• संसारभयबंधनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक) + बन्धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (संसारस्य भयम्; तस्य बन्धनम्)

• कुर्वते: they do/make
• कुर्वते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• एव: at all/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• यस्मात्: from which/because of which
• यस्मात्: Apadana (Ablative/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेतौ (ablative: because of which)

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

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Ablative/Reason/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; तदनुकरणे (therefore/from that)

• निखिलरक्षकम्: the protector of all
• निखिलरक्षकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निखिल (प्रातिपदिक) + रक्षक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (निखिलः रक्षकः)

Speaker

Narratorial voice within Dharmāraṇyakhaṇḍa (context speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of dvijas behold the inscribed dharma-ordinance; their faces soften from anxiety to serenity, as if chains of fear fall away; the tīrtha glows as a protective presence.

Characters & Entities

• Dvijas (twice-born)
• Saṃsāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred darśana that aligns one with dharma dissolves existential fear and weakens the bonds of saṃsāra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya is implied as the sanctified setting where such transformative darśana becomes possible.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated; the act emphasized is darśana—‘seeing’ the sacred object/ordinance that grants protection.