Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

क्षणात्संधारयामास वाणीगायत्रिसंनिधौ । संधितोऽथ हरेणासौ चतुर्वक्त्रो जगत्पतिः

Transliteration

kṣaṇātsaṃdhārayāmāsa vāṇīgāyatrisaṃnidhau | saṃdhito'tha hareṇāsau caturvaktro jagatpatiḥ

Translation

En un instant, en présence de Vāṇī (Sarasvatī) et de Gāyatrī, il les ajusta. Puis, réuni par Hara, ce Seigneur du monde aux quatre visages (Brahmā) fut rétabli.

Word by Word

• क्षणात्: in a moment / immediately
• क्षणात्: Apadana (Ablative of time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन; Ablative singular (time-from)

• संधारयामास: joined/held together
• संधारयामास: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + धृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada; causative nuance ‘held together/assembled’

• वाणीगायत्रिसंनिधौ: in the presence of Vāṇī and Gāyatrī
• वाणीगायत्रिसंनिधौ: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाणी (प्रातिपदिक) + गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक) + संनिधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; Locative singular; तत्पुरुष (वाणी-गायत्र्योः संनिधौ = in the presence of Vāṇī and Gāyatrī)

• संधितः: joined
• संधितः: Karta (as predicate participle of asau)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + धा (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘joined/connected’

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अनन्तरार्थक/क्रमसूचक (then/now)

• हरेण: by Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरेण: Karana (Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• असौ: that one (he)
• असौ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• चतुर्वक्त्रः: four-faced
• चतुर्वक्त्रः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (चत्वारि वक्त्राणि यस्य) used adjectivally

• जगत्पतिः: lord of the world
• जगत्पतिः: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जगतः पतिः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra / Setubandha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Before Sarasvatī and Gāyatrī, Śiva instantly joins the heads and body; Brahmā reappears as the four-faced Jagatpati, restored and radiant, while the witnesses stand in reverent relief.

Characters & Entities

• Hara (Śiva)
• Vāṇī (Sarasvatī)
• Gāyatrī
• Brahmā (Caturvaktra, Jagatpati)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s grace can instantly restore life and order; divinity heals disruption and re-establishes the world’s governance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu (Setukhaṇḍa) is the implied sacred setting, portraying the region as a locus of swift divine intervention.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the focus is the miracle of restoration performed by Hara in the presence of Gāyatrī and Sarasvatī.