Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

प्रोचुस्ते सहिताः सर्वे विरूपाक्षपुरोगमाः । यः कश्चिद्देवखातेऽस्मिन्मृदालम्भनपूर्वकम्

Transliteration

procuste sahitāḥ sarve virūpākṣapurogamāḥ | yaḥ kaściddevakhāte'sminmṛdālambhanapūrvakam

Translation

പിന്നീട് വിരൂപാക്ഷന്റെ നേതൃത്വത്തിൽ അവർ എല്ലാവരും ചേർന്ന് പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചു—“ഈ ദേവഖാതത്തിൽ ആരെങ്കിലും ആദ്യം പുണ്യമായ മണ്ണ് കൈക്കൊണ്ട്…”

Word by Word

• प्रोचुः: said; proclaimed
• प्रोचुः: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-उच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; refers to ‘सुराः’

• सहिताः: assembled; together
• सहिताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सह (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + इ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त) / ‘सहित’ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) as adjective; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘together/assembled’

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण of ‘ते’

• विरूपाक्षपुरोगमाः: led by Virūpākṣa
• विरूपाक्षपुरोगमाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विरूपाक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरोगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (विरूपाक्ष-पुरोगम = having Virūpākṣa in front/led by Virūpākṣa); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण of ‘ते’

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; relative pronoun (introduces relative clause)

• कश्चित्: anyone; someone
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-निपात)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक (indefinite pronoun)

• देवखाते: in this divine pit
• देवखाते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + खात (प्रातिपदिक/क्त-निष्पन्न)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (देव-खात = dug by gods / divine pit); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; deictic ‘in this’ (refers to ‘देवखाते’)

• मृदालम्भनपूर्वकम्: with the preliminary act of touching/handling earth
• मृदालम्भनपूर्वकम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मृदा (प्रातिपदिक) + आलम्भन (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (…पूर्वकम् as adverbial: ‘with/after … as a preliminary’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण

Speaker

Devas (led by Virūpākṣa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devakhāta

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Virūpākṣa and the assembled gods proclaim rules of engagement for Devakhāta; a pilgrim figure is shown taking a small pinch of sacred earth at the reservoir’s edge as the rite begins.

Characters & Entities

• Virūpākṣa
• Devas
• Devakhāta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approaching a tīrtha with proper ritual reverence (beginning with sacred soil) is emphasized as dharmic conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Devakhāta, the consecrated reservoir formed from collected tīrtha-waters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Begin the Devakhāta observance with mṛdālambhana—taking/using the sacred earth as the preliminary act.