Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

रक्षणाधिपतौ देवे सर्वज्ञे गुणनायके । भवसागर मग्नानां तारिणी यत्र योगिनी

Transliteration

rakṣaṇādhipatau deve sarvajñe guṇanāyake | bhavasāgara magnānāṃ tāriṇī yatra yoginī

Translation

Là demeure le Seigneur protecteur—le Dieu qui préside à la garde, omniscient et chef de toutes les vertus—; et là la Yoginī nommée Tārīṇī délivre ceux qui sombrent dans l’océan du devenir mondain.

Word by Word

• रक्षणाधिपतौ: in the lord of protection
• रक्षणाधिपतौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षण + अधिपति (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (रक्षणस्य अधिपतिः)

• देवे: in the god
• देवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• सर्वज्ञे: all-knowing
• सर्वज्ञे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्वज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (देवे)

• गुणनायके: in the leader of virtues
• गुणनायके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण + नायक (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गुणानां नायकः)

• भवसागर: ocean of worldly existence
• भवसागर: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव + सागर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.); तत्पुरुषः (भवस्य सागरः)

• मग्नानाम्: of those sunk/immersed
• मग्नानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मग्न (कृदन्त; मज्ज् धातोः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle)

• तारिणी: the savioress/ferrier
• तारिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location marker/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (relative adverb: ‘where’)

• योगिनी: the Yoginī
• योगिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Vyāsa (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (Tārīṇī-yoginī sthāna)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: viprendra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A protective deity presides like a guardian-king, radiant and composed, while the Yoginī Tārīṇī stands as a compassionate savioress, symbolically ferrying devotees across a dark, wave-tossed ocean labeled ‘bhava’.

Characters & Entities

• Tārīṇī Yoginī
• Dharmāraṇya
• Protector Deva (local presiding deity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa frames the tīrtha as a refuge: divine protection and Śakti’s grace lift devotees from saṃsāra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, highlighting a presiding protective deity and the Yoginī Tārīṇī associated with the place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse emphasizes the salvific power of the site and its deities.