Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

वर्तमानः पितुर्गेहे स्वाचाराभ्यासतत्परः । गच्छन्कदाचिद्गहने गृहीतो ब्रह्मरक्षसा

Transliteration

vartamānaḥ piturgehe svācārābhyāsatatparaḥ | gacchankadācidgahane gṛhīto brahmarakṣasā

Translation

Demeurant dans la maison de son père et appliqué à la pratique de la bonne conduite, un jour, marchant dans une forêt profonde, il fut saisi par un Brahmarākṣasa.

Word by Word

• vartamānaḥ: living/remaining
• vartamānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛt (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले आत्मनेपदे शानच् (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘dwelling/being’

• pituḥ: of (his) father
• pituḥ: Sambandha (genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• gehe: in the house
• gehe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: geha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• svācāra-abhyāsa-tatparaḥ: devoted to practicing good conduct
• svācāra-abhyāsa-tatparaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + ācāra (प्रातिपदिक) + abhyāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + tatpara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (svācārasya abhyāse tatparaḥ)

• gacchan: going
• gacchan: Karta (concomitant action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘going’

• kadācit: once/sometime
• kadācit: Adhikaraṇa (temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācit (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (at some time)

• gahane: in a thicket/forest depth
• gahane: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gahana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• gṛhītaḥ: was seized
• gṛhītaḥ: Kriya (resultant state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: grah (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘seized’

• brahma-rakṣasā: by a brahma-rākṣasa (demonic being)
• brahma-rakṣasā: Karaṇa/Agent in passive (कर्तृ-करणभाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + rakṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषप्रायः (brahmaṇaḥ rakṣasaḥ)

Speaker

Narrator (anonymous Purāṇic narrator within Setukhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu/Setubandha (Rāmeśvara)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dense forest with tangled trees; a young dvija walking with a staff and water-pot is suddenly seized by a fearsome Brahmarākṣasa—gaunt, fiery-eyed, with matted hair and remnants of sacred marks turned grotesque.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmarākṣasa
• Forest (gahana)
• Svācāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse suggests that worldly life—even when disciplined—can face sudden trials; dharma must be steady amid unexpected dangers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu is the larger māhātmya setting; this verse narrates an encounter rather than praising a particular sub-site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it highlights commitment to svācāra (right conduct) and introduces the Brahmarākṣasa episode.