Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

ततो निशम्य चारेण वानराः कामरूपिणः । ऋक्षगोपुच्छरक्षांसि समुत्पेतुरनेकशः

Transliteration

tato niśamya cāreṇa vānarāḥ kāmarūpiṇaḥ | ṛkṣagopuccharakṣāṃsi samutpeturanekaśaḥ

Translation

Alors, l’ayant appris par leurs éclaireurs, les troupes de Vānaras capables de changer de forme—avec les ours et les rākṣasas Gopuccha—se levèrent et se mirent en route en grand nombre.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्-अर्थे (adverb: 'then/thereupon')

• निशम्य: having heard
• निशम्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + शम्/शम (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययभाव; 'having heard/learnt'

• चारेण: by a spy/messenger
• चारेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वानराः: monkeys
• वानराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वानर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• कामरूपिणः: shape-shifting at will
• कामरूपिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक); कामरूपिन् (समस्तपद-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (having forms at will)

• ऋक्षगोपुच्छरक्षांसि: bears, (gopuccha-beings) and rākṣasas
• ऋक्षगोपुच्छरक्षांसि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋक्ष + गोपुच्छ + रक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक); समाहार-द्वन्द्व-समस्तपद
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (bears, cow-tailed beings, and rākṣasas)

• समुत्पेतुः: sprang up/rose
• समुत्पेतुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + उत् + पत् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अनेकशः: in many groups/many times
• अनेकशः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनेकशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/प्रचुरता-वाचक (adverb: 'in many ways/many times')

Speaker

Agastya (narrating)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā-kṣetra (Sarayū-tīra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Scouts report; in response, countless kāmarūpī vānara hosts surge upward and forward, joined by bears and fierce gopuccha-rākṣasas—an animated, multi-species mobilization at the edge of Ayodhyā’s sacred precincts.

Characters & Entities

• Vānaras
• Ṛkṣas (bears)
• Gopuccha-rākṣasas
• Scouts/Messengers

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Those bound by devotion and prior service hasten to accompany the Lord at pivotal moments, showing loyalty beyond worldly ties.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā as the gathering point of divine and semi-divine allies responding to Rāma’s final movement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse narrates the mobilization of devotees and allied beings.