Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

सप्तर्षिभिर्वह्निहोमं कुर्वद्भिर्मंत्रवीर्यतः । आगत्य तत्र जग्राह वह्निर्भागं च तं हुतम्

Transliteration

saptarṣibhirvahnihomaṃ kurvadbhirmaṃtravīryataḥ | āgatya tatra jagrāha vahnirbhāgaṃ ca taṃ hutam

Translation

Lorsque les Sept Ṛṣi, forts de la puissance des mantras, accomplissaient le homa en offrant dans le feu, Agni s’y rendit et prit sa part de l’oblation déposée.

Word by Word

• saptarṣibhiḥ: by the seven sages
• saptarṣibhiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sapta (प्रातिपदिक) + ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (द्विगुः: सप्त ऋषयः), पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• vahni-homam: the fire-offering (Agni-homa)
• vahni-homam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vahni (प्रातिपदिक) + homa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः: वह्नेः होमः), पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• kurvadbhiḥ: doing; performing
• kurvadbhiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kurvat (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; saptarṣibhiḥ-विशेषण

• mantra-vīryataḥ: by the power of the mantra
• mantra-vīryataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + vīrya (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘-तः’; समासः (तत्पुरुषः: मन्त्रस्य वीर्यम्)

• āgatya: having come
• āgatya: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā + gam (धातु) → āgatya (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• jagrāha: took; seized
• jagrāha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: grah (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• vahniḥ: Agni; fire
• vahniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vahni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• bhāgam: a share; portion
• bhāgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tam: that
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन, पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (contextual)

• hutam: offered; oblated
• hutam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hu (धातु) → huta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; tam-विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (deduced narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Saptaṛṣi-yajña-sthāna (Himalayan hermitage)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Seven sages seated around a blazing square fire-altar, ladles raised; Agni appears as a radiant deity emerging from the flames, receiving the oblation portion with solemn dignity.

Characters & Entities

• Saptarṣi (Seven Sages)
• Agni (Vahni)
• Homa
• Mantra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual order (yajña-dharma) sustains cosmic harmony: offerings made with mantra-power reach the deity and are duly received.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse does not name a tīrtha; it situates the ritual in the Himālaya context introduced nearby.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vahni-homa (fire-offering to Agni) performed with mantra-vīrya (mantric potency) and proper distribution of the deity’s bhāga (share).