Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

तस्य तीरे जपन्मत्रांस्तस्थौ नियमसंयुतः । अत्रांतरे तीर्थवराद्गज एको विनिर्ययौ

Transliteration

tasya tīre japanmatrāṃstasthau niyamasaṃyutaḥ | atrāṃtare tīrthavarādgaja eko viniryayau

Translation

Sur sa rive il demeura, récitant des mantras avec une discipline d’austérités. Cependant, de ce tīrtha excellent sortit un unique éléphant.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/of that (place/person)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• तीरे: on the bank/shore
• तीरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• जपन्: chanting
• जपन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), परस्मैपदी, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मन्त्रान्: mantras
• मन्त्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• तस्थौ: stood/remained
• तस्थौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• नियम-संयुतः: endowed with observances/discipline
• नियम-संयुतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नियम (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √युज्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• अन्तरे: in the interval/meanwhile
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Temporal locus/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (अत्रान्तरे = ‘in the meantime/meanwhile’)

• तीर्थ-वरात्: from the excellent sacred ford
• तीर्थ-वरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• गजः: an elephant
• गजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एकः: one/single
• एकः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• विनिर्ययौ: came out/emerged
• विनिर्ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-निर्-या (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Skanda Purāṇa narrative voice; traditionally Sūta in Purāṇic recitation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu-tīrtha (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined ascetic stands on a river/sea-ford bank, rosary in hand, absorbed in mantra-japa; from the shimmering sacred waters a lone elephant begins to emerge, water streaming from its massive form.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya-tīrtha
• Kakṣīvān

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady japa with niyama aligns the practitioner with the sacred potency of a tīrtha, from which auspicious, transformative events may arise.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Agastya-tīrtha is implied as the “excellent tīrtha” whose bank becomes the place of mantra-practice and wondrous occurrence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mantra-japa performed with niyama (disciplined observance), situated at the tīrtha-bank.