Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

विश्वामित्रोपि धर्मात्मा पुनस्तप्त्वा महत्तपः । लेभे वसिष्ठवाक्येन ब्राह्मण्यं दुर्लभं नृपैः

Transliteration

viśvāmitropi dharmātmā punastaptvā mahattapaḥ | lebhe vasiṣṭhavākyena brāhmaṇyaṃ durlabhaṃ nṛpaiḥ

Translation

Et Viśvāmitra aussi, à l’âme droite, accomplit de nouveau une grande ascèse. Par la parole de Vasiṣṭha, il obtint l’état de brāhmane, chose rare et difficile pour les rois.

Word by Word

• विश्वामित्रः: Viśvāmitra
• विश्वामित्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśvāmitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle) — ‘also/even’

• धर्मात्मा: righteous-minded
• धर्मात्मा: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma-ātman (प्रातिपदिक; धर्म + आत्मन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — ‘righteous-souled’

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘again’

• तप्त्वा: having practiced (austerity)
• तप्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), परस्मैपदी — ‘having performed austerity’

• महत्: great
• महत्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — ‘great’ (qualifying तपः)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — ‘austerity’

• लेभे: obtained
• लेभे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपदी — ‘obtained’

• वसिष्ठवाक्येन: by Vasiṣṭha’s statement
• वसिष्ठवाक्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasiṣṭha-vākya (प्रातिपदिक; वसिष्ठ + वाक्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — ‘by Vasiṣṭha’s word’

• ब्राह्मण्यम्: Brahmin status
• ब्राह्मण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — ‘Brahminhood’

• दुर्लभम्: hard to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-labha (प्रातिपदिक; दुर् + लभ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — ‘hard to obtain’ (qualifying ब्राह्मण्यम्)

• नृपैः: by kings
• नृपैः: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन — ‘by kings’ (agent in passive sense)

Speaker

Unknown (narratorial voice within Setu-khaṇḍa; likely Sūta-style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tapas-kṣetra of Viśvāmitra–Vasiṣṭha encounter (Setukhaṇḍa frame)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viśvāmitra in intense austerity—standing or seated in yogic stillness—while Vasiṣṭha, serene and radiant, pronounces a confirming word that grants brāhmaṇya; the contrast of royal past and ascetic present is visible.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Vasiṣṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True spiritual rank is portrayed as earned through tapas and inner dharma, not merely by birth or royal power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is directly praised in this verse; it continues a Setu-khaṇḍa narrative connected to sacred landscapes and sages’ hermitages.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is referenced broadly, without specifying a particular vrata, dāna, or snāna.