Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

मार्गमुत्सृज्य दूरेण प्रपलायनमाचरम् । एतस्मिन्नंतरे व्यासस्तत्र प्राप्तो यदृच्छया

Transliteration

mārgamutsṛjya dūreṇa prapalāyanamācaram | etasminnaṃtare vyāsastatra prāpto yadṛcchayā

Translation

Délaissant la route, je m’enfuis au loin en courant. Or, à cet instant même, par hasard, Vyāsa arriva en ce lieu.

Word by Word

• मार्गम्: path, way
• मार्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• उत्सृज्य: having abandoned
• उत्सृज्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत्-√सृज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकाल; Absolutive (ktvā), ‘having abandoned’

• दूरेण: from afar, at a distance
• दूरेण: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental used adverbially: ‘from afar/at a distance’

• प्रपलायनम्: flight, running away
• प्रपलायनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र-√पलाय् (धातु) + अन (प्रत्यय) → प्रपलायन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• आचरम्: I did, I practiced
• आचरम्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√चर् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; Imperfect, 1st person singular

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; Pronoun, Locative (7th), Singular

• अन्तरे: in the interval, meanwhile
• अन्तरे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative used idiomatically: ‘in the meantime/interval’

• व्यासः: Vyāsa
• व्यासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• प्राप्तः: arrived
• प्राप्तः: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√आप् (धातु) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle) used predicatively; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having arrived/arrived’

• यदृच्छया: by chance
• यदृच्छया: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदृच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental used adverbially: ‘by chance/accidentally’

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (reborn being speaking)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small frightened creature darts off the main path into scrub/forest; at that very moment the sage Vyāsa arrives, staff in hand, calm amid the turmoil.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine or saintly intervention can arise unexpectedly; contact with a mahāmuni becomes a turning point in saṃsāra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sarasvatī river-bank locale remains the sacred geographic backdrop.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces Vyāsa’s providential arrival.