Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अशेषधर्मकुशलाः सर्वशास्त्रविशारदाः । तपोज्ञाने महाख्याता ब्रह्मयज्ञपरायणाः । स्थापिता ऋषयः सर्वे सहस्राण्यष्टादशैव तु

Transliteration

aśeṣadharmakuśalāḥ sarvaśāstraviśāradāḥ | tapojñāne mahākhyātā brahmayajñaparāyaṇāḥ | sthāpitā ṛṣayaḥ sarve sahasrāṇyaṣṭādaśaiva tu

Translation

Tous ces ṛṣi y furent établis : habiles en tout dharma, versés dans tous les śāstra, illustres par leur tapas et leur connaissance, et voués au Brahma-yajña. En vérité, ils étaient au nombre de dix-huit mille.

Word by Word

• अशेषधर्मकुशलाः: skilled in all dharmas
• अशेषधर्मकुशलाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशेष (प्रातिपदिक) + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + कुशल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण

• सर्वशास्त्रविशारदाः: expert in all scriptures
• सर्वशास्त्रविशारदाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + विशारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• तपोज्ञाने: in austerity and knowledge
• तपोज्ञाने: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); द्वन्द्व (tapas and knowledge)

• महाख्याताः: greatly renowned
• महाख्याताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + ख्यात (कृदन्त; √ख्या, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• ब्रह्मयज्ञपरायणाः: devoted to brahma-yajña
• ब्रह्मयज्ञपरायणाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• स्थापिताः: were established
• स्थापिताः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + स्थापित (कृदन्त; णिच् + क्त)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (passive sense: 'were established')

• ऋषयः: sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा, बहुवचन

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

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: Sankhya (Number/संख्या)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन (Plural); संख्यावाचक-नाम

• अष्टादश: eighteen
• अष्टादश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्ट (संख्या) + दश (संख्या)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्द (numeral used adjectivally); नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचनस्य विशेषण (qualifying सहस्राणि)

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

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अनुयोगबोधक (particle: 'but/indeed')

Speaker

Vyāsa (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic view of countless sages in forest hermitages: some teaching from palm-leaf manuscripts, some performing agnihotra, some in meditation; the scale suggests ‘eighteen thousand’ as a sea of ascetics.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Brahma-yajña
• Dharmāraṇya (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s greatness is upheld by communities devoted to Vedic learning (brahma-yajña), tapas, and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, portrayed as a vast ṛṣi-kṣetra populated by thousands of established sages.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Brahma-yajña—Vedic study/recitation (and teaching) as a sacred daily offering—is highlighted as their central commitment.