Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

गौतमो ब्राह्मणस्त्वासीत्साक्षाद्ब्रह्मेव चापरः । सत्यधर्मसमायुक्तो वानप्रस्थाश्रमे रतः

Transliteration

gautamo brāhmaṇastvāsītsākṣādbrahmeva cāparaḥ | satyadharmasamāyukto vānaprasthāśrame rataḥ

Translation

അവിടെ ഗൗതമൻ എന്ന ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു, സാക്ഷാൽ മറ്റൊരു ബ്രഹ്മാവെന്നപോലെ. സത്യധർമ്മസമ്പന്നനായി വാനപ്രസ്ഥാശ്രമത്തിൽ നിരതനായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• gautamaḥ: Gautama
• gautamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Masculine nominative singular

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a brāhmaṇa
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Visheshya (Appositive/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Masculine nominative singular (apposition)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपातः; Particle

• āsīt: was
• āsīt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Imperfect, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada

• sākṣāt: directly, in person
• sākṣāt: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रत्यक्षार्थक; Adverb (directly/in person)

• brahma: Brahmā / the Absolute (here: Brahmā)
• brahma: Upamāna (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Neuter nominative singular

• iva: like
• iva: Upamā (Simile marker/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक-अव्यय; Comparative particle

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

• aparaḥ: another (one)
• aparaḥ: Pratijñā-predicative (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Masculine nominative singular (predicate adjective)

• satya-dharma-samāyuktaḥ: endowed with truth and righteousness
• satya-dharma-samāyuktaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + samāyukta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (सत्यधर्मेण समायुक्तः); भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Past passive participle used adjectivally, Masculine nominative singular

• vānaprastha-āśrame: in the vānaprastha āśrama (forest-dweller stage)
• vānaprastha-āśrame: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vānaprastha (प्रातिपदिक) + āśrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (वानप्रस्थस्य आश्रमः); पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; Masculine locative singular

• rataḥ: engaged, devoted
• rataḥ: Pratijñā-predicative (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ram (धातु) + rata (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Past participle used adjectivally, Masculine nominative singular

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (continuing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cāhalyeśvara (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gautama ṛṣi in a forest hermitage: sacred fire, deer, kusa grass, water pot; his demeanor radiates brahma-tejas; symbols of satya-dharma (staff, rosary, scriptures).

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Brahmā
• Vānaprastha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of a tīrtha is framed through exemplars of dharma—truth, righteousness, and disciplined āśrama life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly Cāhalyeśvara’s setting; this verse establishes the holy persons connected to that place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes Gautama’s character and āśrama commitment.