Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

वालखिल्यान्ससंभारान्ह्रस्वानंगुष्ठमात्रकान् । मज्जतो गोष्पदजले दृष्ट्वा हसितवान्भवान्

Transliteration

vālakhilyānsasaṃbhārānhrasvānaṃguṣṭhamātrakān | majjato goṣpadajale dṛṣṭvā hasitavānbhavān

Translation

Tu ris en voyant les Vālakhilyas —êtres minuscules, hauts comme un pouce— s’enfoncer dans l’eau d’une simple empreinte de sabot, tandis qu’ils portaient leurs fardeaux pour le yajña.

Word by Word

• वालखिल्यान्: Vālakhilya sages
• वालखिल्यान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वालखिल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• स: with
• स: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक-पूर्वपद (meaning ‘with’)

• संभारान्: materials, provisions
• संभारान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संभार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• ह्रस्वान्: short, tiny
• ह्रस्वान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ह्रस्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying वालखिल्यान्)

• अङ्गुष्ठ: thumb
• अङ्गुष्ठ: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपदत्वेन

• मात्रकान्: thumb-sized
• मात्रकान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मात्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: अङ्गुष्ठमात्रक = अङ्गुष्ठमात्रः (thumb-sized)

• मज्जतः: of (them) sinking
• मज्जतः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मज्ज् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), परस्मैपद; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन; धातु: मज्ज् (to sink)

• गोष्पद: cow-hoofprint
• गोष्पद: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तत्पुरुष: गोः पदम् (cow’s hoofprint); समासपूर्वपदत्वेन

• जले: in the water (of a hoofprint)
• जले: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: गोष्पदजले = गोष्पदस्य जले (in the water in a hoofprint)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययभावः; धातु: दृश्

• हसितवान्: laughed
• हसितवान्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हस् (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; धातु: हस् (to laugh)

• भवान्: you (honored)
• भवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; आदरार्थक (honorific ‘you’)

Speaker

Bṛhaspati (addressing Indra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra laughs as he sees the thumb-sized Vālakhilyas, burdened with sacrificial loads, struggling and sinking in a tiny hoof-print puddle; their dignity contrasts with their small bodies.

Characters & Entities

• Vālakhilya Ṛṣis
• Indra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mockery of ascetics is a dharmic fault; spiritual stature is not measured by physical size or worldly might.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse explains the moral cause leading to later events.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No prescription; it references carrying yajña materials.