Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

विश्वामित्र इति ख्यातो गाधिपुत्रः प्रतापवान् । वसिष्ठेन समं तस्य वैरमासीन्महात्मनः

Transliteration

viśvāmitra iti khyāto gādhiputraḥ pratāpavān | vasiṣṭhena samaṃ tasya vairamāsīnmahātmanaḥ

Translation

Il était renommé sous le nom de Viśvāmitra, le puissant fils de Gādhi ; et avec Vasiṣṭha s’éleva une inimitié contre ce grand être.

Word by Word

• viśvāmitraḥ: Viśvāmitra
• viśvāmitraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśvāmitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्

• iti: thus / by the name
• iti: Sambandha (Marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/नामनिर्देशार्थक-अव्ययम् (quotative)

• khyātaḥ: known/famed
• khyātaḥ: Kriyā (Predicative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: khyāta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √khyā (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययः (past passive participle)

• gādhiputraḥ: son of Gādhi
• gādhiputraḥ: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gādhi-putra (प्रातिपदिक; गाधि + पुत्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गाधेः पुत्रः)

• pratāpavān: mighty/valorous
• pratāpavān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratāpa-vat (प्रातिपदिक; प्रताप + वत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्; वत्-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम्

• vasiṣṭhena: with Vasiṣṭha
• vasiṣṭhena: Sahakāraka (Association/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasiṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचनम्

• samam: together/with
• samam: Sahārtha (Accompaniment)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोगः (adverbial accusative: ‘equally/together/with’)

• tasya: his
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचनम्

• vairam: enmity
• vairam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम्

• āsīt: was
• āsīt: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकारः (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled (one)
• mahātmanaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-ātman (प्रातिपदिक; महा + आत्मन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (महान् आत्मा यस्य)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rohitāśva

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A portrait-like introduction: Viśvāmitra, radiant and martial yet ascetic, stands opposite Vasiṣṭha, calm and luminous; the air holds restrained tension, foreshadowing a transformative spiritual struggle.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Gādhi
• Vasiṣṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even great souls face conflict; Purāṇic narratives use such tensions to reveal the path from rivalry to spiritual transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it provides character background within the tīrtha-māhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None here; it sets up the historical context for the obstacle-destroying vrata.