Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

ततः सा प्रेषिता तेनाजगाम गजगामिनी । उवास हिमवत्पार्श्वे रैभ्याश्रममनुत्तमम्

Transliteration

tataḥ sā preṣitā tenājagāma gajagāminī | uvāsa himavatpārśve raibhyāśramamanuttamam

Translation

Alors, envoyée par lui, la jeune femme au pas d’éléphant se mit en route et arriva. Elle demeura près de l’Himalaya, dans l’āśrama incomparable de Raibhya.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/काल-देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — 'thereupon/then'

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — demonstrative pronoun

• प्रेषिता: sent (having been sent)
• प्रेषिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-इष् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — 'having been sent'

• तेन: by him/thereby
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — instrumental pronoun

• आजगाम: came, arrived
• आजगाम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• गजगामिनी: elephant-gaited (one who walks like an elephant)
• गजगामिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक) + गामिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — कर्मधारयः: गज इव गामिनी

• उवास: dwelt, stayed
• उवास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-वास् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• हिमवत्पार्श्वे: at the side of Himavat (the Himalaya)
• हिमवत्पार्श्वे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिमवत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पार्श्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: हिमवतः पार्श्वे

• रैभ्याश्रमम्: Raibhya’s hermitage
• रैभ्याश्रमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रैभ्य (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: रैभ्यस्य आश्रमम्

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed, excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — विशेषणम् (आश्रमम्)

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced; Vaiṣṇava Khaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Urvaśī-kuṇḍa (implied future locus)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Urvāśī, ‘elephant-gaited,’ steps through a Himalayan forest path toward a simple hermitage—leaf huts, sacrificial fire, and a quiet river nearby; her ornaments contrast with the ascetic setting.

Characters & Entities

• Himavat (Himalaya)
• Raibhya (sage)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places and hermitages are portrayed as dharmic refuges where destiny unfolds under the guidance of sages and divine ordinance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Raibhya’s āśrama, located near Himavat (the Himalayan sacred landscape), within the Ayodhyā Māhātmya’s broader sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed in this verse; it is primarily a narrative transition establishing a sacred location.