Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

पूर्वपक्षमहाग्राहे सिद्धांतझषसंकुले । वेदांताब्धाविहाज्ञानं मुह्यंति पतिता द्विजाः

Transliteration

pūrvapakṣamahāgrāhe siddhāṃtajhaṣasaṃkule | vedāṃtābdhāvihājñānaṃ muhyaṃti patitā dvijāḥ

Translation

Dans cet océan du Vedānta, infesté du grand crocodile des thèses adverses et encombré des poissons des conclusions querelleuses, les deux-fois-nés déchus, par ignorance, s’égarent dans la confusion.

Word by Word

• पूर्वपक्षमहाग्राहे: in the great ‘crocodile’ of the pūrvapakṣa (opponent view)
• पूर्वपक्षमहाग्राहे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्वपक्ष-महा-ग्राह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—पूर्वपक्षः एव महाग्राहः (कर्मधारय) / पूर्वपक्षस्य महाग्राहः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• सिद्धान्तझषसंकुले: crowded with the ‘fish’ of siddhānta (conclusions)
• सिद्धान्तझषसंकुले: Visheshana (Qualifier of the locative setting)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिद्धान्त-झष-संकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—सिद्धान्त-झषैः संकुलम् (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहिसदृश-विशेषण)

• वेदान्ताब्धौ: in the ocean of Vedānta
• वेदान्ताब्धौ: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेदान्त-अब्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—वेदान्तः एव अब्धिः (कर्मधारय)

• इह: here
• इह: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• अज्ञानम्: ignorance
• अज्ञानम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• मुह्यन्ति: become deluded
• मुह्यन्ति: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• पतिताः: fallen (from right conduct)
• पतिताः: Visheshana (Qualifier of dvijāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पतित (प्रातिपदिक; पत्-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम्

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

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuity)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jaṭātīrtha (contextual)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvi-jāḥ (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vedānta visualized as a vast ocean: crocodile labeled ‘pūrvapakṣa’ lunges, schools of fish labeled ‘siddhānta’ swirl; bewildered scholars flounder while a steady boat of ‘guru-upadeśa’ or ‘citta-śuddhi’ offers passage.

Characters & Entities

• Vedānta
• Dvijas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Without inner purity and guidance, philosophical debate can become a cause of confusion rather than liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly, Jaṭātīrtha is being positioned as the simpler, surer aid for purification compared to contentious scholasticism.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse warns against delusion born from disputation and ignorance.