Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

यथा हि पुरुषे देवस्त्रैमूर्तत्वमुपाश्रितः । ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेशाख्यं न भेदस्तत्र वै यथा । तथा सरित्त्रये पार्थ भेदं मनसि मा कृथाः

Transliteration

yathā hi puruṣe devastraimūrtatvamupāśritaḥ | brahmaviṣṇumaheśākhyaṃ na bhedastatra vai yathā | tathā sarittraye pārtha bhedaṃ manasi mā kṛthāḥ

Translation

ഒരു ദൈവം പുരുഷനിൽ അധിഷ്ഠിതനായി ബ്രഹ്മാ, വിഷ്ണു, മഹേശൻ എന്ന ത്രിമൂർത്തി രൂപം സ്വീകരിച്ചാലും അവിടെ യഥാർത്ഥ ഭേദമില്ല; അതുപോലെ, ഹേ പാർഥ, മൂന്നു പുണ്യനദികളിൽ മനസ്സിൽ ഭേദം വരുത്തരുത്.

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/यथार्थ-बोधक (comparative/relative adverb)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• पुरुषे: in the person
• पुरुषे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• देवः: the Lord/God
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्रैमूर्तत्वम्: the state of being the triad (three forms)
• त्रैमूर्तत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: trai-mūrti-tva: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + mūrti (प्रातिपदिक) + tva (तद्धित-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (त्रयाणां मूर्तीनां भावः)

• उपाश्रितः: has assumed/resorted to
• उपाश्रितः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śri (श्रि धातु) + उप-आ उपसर्गौ + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (past active participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि-प्रयोग (having resorted to)

• ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेशाख्यम्: called Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa
• ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेशाख्यम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahmā (प्रातिपदिक) + viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + maheśa (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhyam (प्रातिपदिक; ‘named’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—(ब्रह्मा-विष्णु-महेश) इति द्वन्द्व + कर्मधारय (…आख्यम् = ‘called …’)

• न: no/not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात

• भेदः: difference
• भेदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bheda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्र: there/in that (case)
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय

• वै: indeed
• वै: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis)

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यथा-शब्दः (correlative)

• तथा: so/likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Correlative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तथाशब्दः (correlative ‘so’)

• सरित्-त्रये: in the triad of rivers
• सरित्-त्रये: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarit (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सरितां त्रयम्)

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भेदम्: difference
• भेदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bheda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मनसि: in (your) mind
• मनसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मा: do not
• मा: Negation (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेधार्थक (prohibitive particle used with लोट्/विधिलिङ्)

• कृथाः: make/do
• कृथाः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrative voice addressing Pārtha (Arjuna); speaker not explicit in snippet

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tri-river abheda (Gaṅgā–Sarasvatī–Revā)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (addressed) / Yudhiṣṭhira (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teaching tableau: a sage instructs Pārtha/Yudhiṣṭhira; above, a single radiant deity splits into three (Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśa) without separation; below, three rivers flow from one source, merging in the viewer’s perception.

Characters & Entities

• Trimūrti
• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Maheśa (Śiva)
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Three sacred rivers (implied: Gaṅgā, Sarasvatī, Revā/Narmadā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Do not rank sacred manifestations competitively; the divine is one, appearing in many forms, and tīrthas share that unified sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching supports equal reverence for the triad of sacred rivers, within which Revā/Narmadā is being especially established in this chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A mental discipline is prescribed: avoid bheda-buddhi (divisive thinking) regarding tīrthas, which undergirds proper pilgrimage attitude.