Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

धरो ध्रुवश्च सोमश्च आपश्चैवानिलोऽनलः । प्रत्यूषश्च प्रभासश्च वसवोऽष्टाविमे पुरा

Transliteration

dharo dhruvaśca somaśca āpaścaivānilo'nalaḥ | pratyūṣaśca prabhāsaśca vasavo'ṣṭāvime purā

Translation

ധരാ, ധ്രുവൻ, സോമൻ, ആപ, അനിലൻ, അനലൻ, പ്രത്യൂഷൻ, പ്രഭാസൻ—ഇവരാണ് പുരാതനകാലത്ത് ‘വസു’കളായി പ്രസിദ്ധമായ എട്ടുപേർ।

Word by Word

• dharaḥ: Dhara
• dharaḥ: Karta (Listed entity/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• dhruvaḥ: Dhruva
• dhruvaḥ: Karta (Listed entity/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• somaḥ: Soma
• somaḥ: Karta (Listed entity/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• āpaḥ: Āpaḥ (Waters)
• āpaḥ: Karta (Listed entity/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āp (प्रातिपदिक; pluralia tantum)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम् (नित्यबहुवचनम्)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle; emphasis/restriction)

• anilaḥ: Anila (Wind)
• anilaḥ: Karta (Listed entity/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• analaḥ: Anala (Fire)
• analaḥ: Karta (Listed entity/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• pratyūṣaḥ: Pratyūṣa
• pratyūṣaḥ: Karta (Listed entity/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratyūṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• prabhāsaḥ: Prabhāsa
• prabhāsaḥ: Karta (Listed entity/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• vasavaḥ: the Vasus
• vasavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम्

• aṣṭau: eight
• aṣṭau: Karta (Predicate complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम्; संख्यावाचक-विशेषणम् (numeral adjective)

• ime: these
• ime: Karta (Appositive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), बहुवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• purā: formerly/once
• purā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (adverb of time)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vāsava Tīrtha (contextual)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tableau of eight radiant Vasus, each with subtle elemental attributes (earth, pole-star steadiness, moon, waters, wind, fire, dawn, radiance), standing near a river-ford shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Vasus
• Dhara
• Dhruva
• Soma
• Āpa
• Anila
• Anala
• Pratyūṣa
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Puranic tīrtha narratives often ground a site’s sanctity in the deeds of divine lineages and cosmic guardians.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage supports the glory of Vāsava-tīrtha by identifying the Vasus connected to it.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse is identificatory, listing the eight Vasus.