Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

प्रणिपत्य वसिष्ठं तं भक्तिनम्रेण चेतसा । मुनिमंडलमध्ये तं वसिष्ठमिदमब्रुवन्

Transliteration

praṇipatya vasiṣṭhaṃ taṃ bhaktinamreṇa cetasā | munimaṃḍalamadhye taṃ vasiṣṭhamidamabruvan

Translation

S’étant prosternées devant Vasiṣṭha, l’esprit incliné par la dévotion, au milieu de l’assemblée des sages elles adressèrent à ce Vasiṣṭha ces paroles.

Word by Word

• प्रणिपत्य: having bowed down
• प्रणिपत्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नि-पत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• वसिष्ठम्: Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भक्तिनम्रेण: with a mind humbled by devotion
• भक्तिनम्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + नम्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; तृतीया-समर्थनार्थे; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भक्त्या नम्रः) विशेषण (चेतसा)

• चेतसा: with (their) mind
• चेतसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन

• मुनिमण्डलमध्ये: in the midst of the sages’ assembly
• मुनिमण्डलमध्ये: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्ये (अव्यय/सप्तमी-रूप)
• Form: सप्तमी-अर्थे अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; ‘मध्ये’ इति देशवाचक-अव्यय; समासार्थः: मुनिमण्डलस्य मध्ये (in the midst of the circle of sages)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वसिष्ठम्: Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• इदम्: this (speech)
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अब्रुवन्: they said
• अब्रुवन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (Setu)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The women prostrate before Vasiṣṭha; their heads bowed, hands joined; Vasiṣṭha sits amid a ring of sages; the assembly forms a sacred circle, emphasizing communal witness and dharma order.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Sages (muni-maṇḍala)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional humility (bhakti with praṇāma) is presented as the proper approach to spiritual authority and conflict resolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Setu-kṣetra setting remains in view, though the verse depicts an assembly scene rather than a site-description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit practice: praṇāma (prostration) to revered sages; no formal rite is specified.