Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

यथाग्नेरर्चिषः पीताः पिङ्गलारुणधूसराः । तथापि नाग्नितो भिन्नास्तथैतद्ब्रह्मणो जगत्

Transliteration

yathāgnerarciṣaḥ pītāḥ piṅgalāruṇadhūsarāḥ | tathāpi nāgnito bhinnāstathaitadbrahmaṇo jagat

Translation

അഗ്നിയുടെ ജ്വാലകൾ മഞ്ഞ, പിംഗള, അരുണ, ധൂസരമായി തോന്നിയാലും അവ അഗ്നിയിൽ നിന്ന് വേറല്ല; അതുപോലെ ഈ ജഗത് ബ്രഹ്മത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഭിന്നമല്ല.

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Comparison marker (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा/तुलना (comparative particle)

• अग्नेः: of fire
• अग्नेः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• अर्चिषः: flames
• अर्चिषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्चिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पीताः: yellow
• पीताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural) (अर्चिषः इति विशेष्येण सह लिङ्ग-समन्वयः; पाठभेदे स्त्री. 'पीताः/पीताः' प्रयोगः)

• पिङ्गल-आरुण-धूसराः: tawny, reddish, and greyish
• पिङ्गल-आरुण-धूसराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पिङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक) + आरुण (प्रातिपदिक) + धूसर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुवचन (Plural), प्रथमा (Nominative); विशेषण-समाहार-द्वन्द्वः (copulative adjectives)

• तथा: so, likewise
• तथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (particle: also/even)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• अग्नितः: from fire
• अग्नितः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• भिन्नाः: separate
• भिन्नाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिद् (धातु) → भिन्न (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahman
• ब्रह्मणः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• जगत्: world
• जगत्: Predicate nominal (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (Revā-khaṇḍa narrative voice; Vedāntic conclusion)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha-samūha (general)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred fire (homa or lamp) whose flames show multiple hues—golden, tawny, red, smoky—yet all rise from one fire; the teacher indicates the unity behind color-forms.

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Agni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Varied appearances do not imply separate reality; the world remains non-different from Brahman.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None explicitly; the verse is doctrinal within the Revā-khaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a metaphysical teaching using the fire-flame illustration.