Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

भ्रमंश्चापि चतुर्वक्त्रो यावत्पश्यति दूरतः । चतुर्भुजं विशालाक्षं पुरुषं पुरतः स्थितम्

Transliteration

bhramaṃścāpi caturvaktro yāvatpaśyati dūrataḥ | caturbhujaṃ viśālākṣaṃ puruṣaṃ purataḥ sthitam

Translation

Et tandis que l’Être aux quatre visages (Brahmā) errait, il vit de loin, devant lui, la Personne divine : quatre bras, de vastes yeux, se tenant face à lui.

Word by Word

• bhraman: wandering
• bhraman: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhram (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (शतृ-प्रत्यय present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “भ्रमन्/परिभ्रमन्”

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

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अपि = also/even)

• caturvaktraḥ: the four-faced one (Brahmā)
• caturvaktraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur-vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (catur + vaktra “four-faced”, i.e., Brahmā)

• yāvat: as far as / until
• yāvat: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/अवधि-bodhana: “as far as/while”)

• paśyati: sees
• paśyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• dūrataḥ: from a distance
• dūrataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dūra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त adverb: “from afar”)

• caturbhujam: four-armed
• caturbhujam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur-bhuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (catur + bhuja “four-armed”)

• viśālākṣam: large-eyed
• viśālākṣam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśāla-akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (viśāla + akṣa “large-eyed”)

• puruṣam: a person (divine being)
• puruṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• purataḥ: in front
• purataḥ: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puratas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक adverb: “in front”)

• sthitam: standing
• sthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (puruṣam इति विशेषणम्)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā moving through emptiness, then beholding from afar a radiant four-armed, large-eyed divine person standing calmly before him.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (Caturvaktra)
• Govinda/Viṣṇu (implied by four arms; explicit in 7)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine reveals itself to the seeker; the four-armed form signals protective, sustaining sovereignty in the cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a narrative lead-in within the Arbuda section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse.