Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । येनाक्रांता मही सर्वा क्रमेणैकेन तत्त्वतः । विवरे विवरे रोम्णां वर्तंते च पृथक्पृथक्

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | yenākrāṃtā mahī sarvā krameṇaikena tattvataḥ | vivare vivare romṇāṃ vartaṃte ca pṛthakpṛthak

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: Dia yang dengan satu langkah saja sungguh-sungguh meliputi seluruh bumi—di dalam tiap pori dari tiap helai rambut-Nya, dunia-dunia berada terpisah, masing-masing berbeda.

Word by Word

• yudhiṣṭhiraḥ: Yudhiṣṭhira
• yudhiṣṭhiraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudhiṣṭhira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• yena: by whom/with which
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन

• ākrāntā: was overstepped/covered
• ākrāntā: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-kram (आक्रम् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), कर्मणि; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (मही इत्यस्य विशेषण)

• mahī: the earth
• mahī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sarvā: entire
• sarvā: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (सर्व प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (मही-विशेषण)

• krameṇa: stepwise/by a stride
• krameṇa: Karana (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन (रीत्या/क्रमेण)

• ekena: with one (step)
• ekena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन

• tattvataḥ: in truth
• tattvataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tattvataḥ (अव्यय; तत्त्व + तस्)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (adverb: truly/in reality)

• vivare: in (each) hole/opening
• vivare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vivara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• vivare: in every opening
• vivare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vivara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन (पुनरुक्ति-बल)

• romṇām: of the hairs (pores)
• romṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: roman (रोमन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• vartante: exist/are present
• vartante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛt (वृत् धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• pṛthak: separately
• pṛthak: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pṛthak (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: separately)

• pṛthak: each apart
• pṛthak: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pṛthak (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरुक्ति-बल)

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira’s awe-filled inquiry: Trivikrama Viṣṇu with one stride spanning the earth; close-up visionary detail of countless worlds shimmering within each pore of His hair—microcosm within macrocosm.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Viṣṇu (implied as the cosmic strider)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord’s greatness is immeasurable: creation is contained within Him, inspiring humility and surrender.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the Dharmāraṇya Māhātmya by framing the region’s stories within the Lord’s cosmic supremacy.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a theological/cosmological inquiry.