Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 121

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मे मुहूर्ते बुध्येन धर्मार्थौ चापि चिन्तयेत् । समुत्थाय तथाचम्य दंतधावनपूर्वकम्

Transliteration

brāhme muhūrte budhyena dharmārthau cāpi cintayet | samutthāya tathācamya daṃtadhāvanapūrvakam

Translation

Au brāhma-muhūrta, l’esprit clair, qu’il médite sur le dharma et l’artha. Puis, se levant, qu’il accomplisse l’ācamana, en commençant par se nettoyer les dents.

Word by Word

• brāhme: in the Brahma (early-morning)
• brāhme: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brāhma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमीविभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्—‘muhūrte’ इत्यस्य

• muhūrte: at the muhūrta (auspicious time)
• muhūrte: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muhūrta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमीविभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्

• budhyena: with intellect
• budhyena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचनम्

• dharma-arthau: dharma and artha
• dharma-arthau: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्विवचनम्; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd) द्विवचनरूपम्; द्वन्द्वसमासः

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-भावार्थक-अव्ययम् (particle: also/even)

• cintayet: should contemplate
• cintayet: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cint (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• samutthāya: having risen
• samutthāya: Pūrvakāla (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ut-sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (absolutive/gerund)

• tathā: then/thus
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्ययम् (adverb: thus/then)

• ācamya: having sipped (water for purification)
• ācamya: Pūrvakāla (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-cam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (absolutive/gerund)

• daṃtadhāvana-pūrvakam: with tooth-cleaning done first
• daṃtadhāvana-pūrvakam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/Instrumental sense)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daṃta (प्रातिपदिक) + dhāvana (प्रातिपदिक) + pūrvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; ‘pūrvaka’ इति उत्तरपदम्—‘with tooth-cleaning as prior’

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (pārthiva) implied by surrounding address in the sequence

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pre-dawn interior: a sādhaka rises in brāhma-muhūrta, sits briefly in contemplation, then performs ācamana with a small water vessel; toothbrush twig and water pot nearby; faint starlight at the window.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhma-muhūrta
• Dharma
• Artha
• Ācamana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual life is anchored in daily discipline: early rising, reflective intention, and bodily-ritual purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; it presents a universal daily regimen.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Rising at brāhma-muhūrta, reflecting on dharma/artha, and performing ācamana after basic morning cleansing.