Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

मुखे ह्यग्निः स्थितो देवो दन्तेषु च भुजङ्गमाः । धाता विधाता ह्योष्ठौ च जिह्वायां तु सरस्वती

Transliteration

mukhe hyagniḥ sthito devo danteṣu ca bhujaṅgamāḥ | dhātā vidhātā hyoṣṭhau ca jihvāyāṃ tu sarasvatī

Translation

അവളുടെ വായിൽ ദേവനായ അഗ്നി വസിക്കുന്നു; പല്ലുകളിൽ ഭുജംഗങ്ങൾ (സർപ്പങ്ങൾ) ഉണ്ട്. അധരങ്ങളിൽ ധാതാ-വിധാതാ, നാവിൽ സരസ്വതി വിരാജിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• मुखे: in the mouth
• मुखे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative, Singular

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; हेत्वर्थ/अवधारण) — particle 'indeed/for'

• अग्निः: Agni (fire)
• अग्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्थितः: is situated
• स्थितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; अग्नेः अप्पोजिशन (apposition)

• दन्तेषु: in the teeth
• दन्तेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन — Masculine, Locative, Plural

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) — conjunction

• भुजङ्गमाः: serpents
• भुजङ्गमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुजङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• धाता: Dhātā (the creator)
• धाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• विधाता: Vidhātā (the ordainer)
• विधाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle 'indeed'

• ओष्ठौ: on the lips (two lips)
• ओष्ठौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), द्विवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) — conjunction

• जिह्वायाम्: on the tongue
• जिह्वायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जिह्वा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Feminine, Locative, Singular

• तु: and (indeed)
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle 'but/indeed'

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapilā-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic portrait of Kapilā: her open mouth glows with Agni; teeth shimmer as coiled nāgas; lips bear twin creator-figures (Dhātā/Vidhātā); tongue radiates Sarasvatī with vīṇā—an esoteric iconographic diagram.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Bhujaṅgas (serpents)
• Dhātā
• Vidhātā
• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine pervades form: the sacred being/place is described as a living altar where multiple deities are immanent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kapilā-tīrtha’s presiding sanctity (Kapilā) is glorified through a deity-infused description that intensifies the tīrtha’s holiness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse functions as stuti (praise) and theological grounding for tīrtha reverence.