Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

तौ वायुभूतौ सूक्ष्मौ च पठतोऽस्मात्पितामहात् । तावाशु हृत्वा वेदांश्च प्रविष्टौ च महार्णवम्

Transliteration

tau vāyubhūtau sūkṣmau ca paṭhato'smātpitāmahāt | tāvāśu hṛtvā vedāṃśca praviṣṭau ca mahārṇavam

Translation

അവർ ഇരുവരും വായുരൂപമായി അതിസൂക്ഷ്മരായി, പാരായണം ചെയ്തുകൊണ്ടിരുന്ന പിതാമഹനിൽ നിന്ന് വേദങ്ങളെ വേഗത്തിൽ അപഹരിച്ച്, പിന്നെ മഹാസമുദ്രത്തിൽ പ്രവേശിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-द्विवचनम् (Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

• वायुभूतौ: having become wind-like
• वायुभूतौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वायु (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (कृदन्त, भू-धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-द्विवचनम्; वायुरूपेण भूतौ (Masculine, Nominative, Dual; 'become as wind')

• सूक्ष्मौ: subtle
• सूक्ष्मौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-द्विवचनम् (Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

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

• पठतः: (they) recite/read
• पठतः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः, प्रथमा-पुरुषः, द्विवचनम् (Present, 3rd person, Dual)

• अस्मात्: from me
• अस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-एकवचनम् (Ablative, Singular; pronoun)

• पितामहात्: from the grandsire (Brahmā)
• पितामहात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे पञ्चमी-एकवचनम् (Masculine, Ablative, Singular)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-द्विवचनम् (Masculine, Accusative, Dual)

• आशु: quickly
• आशु: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/रीति-अव्ययम् (adverb)

• हृत्वा: having taken away
• हृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (absolutive/gerund, 'having taken/stolen')

• वेदान्: the Vedas
• वेदान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-बहुवचनम् (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

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

• प्रविष्टौ: entered
• प्रविष्टौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-विश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकृदन्तम्; पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-द्विवचनम् (past participle; Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

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

• महार्णवम्: the great ocean
• महार्णवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

Speaker

Narmadā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) narrative frame; event-locus is Mahārṇava/Pātāla in kathā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (rājan) addressed in the passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two asura-brothers become wind-like and subtle, snatch the Vedas from Brahmā mid-recitation, and vanish into the vast oceanic abyss.

Characters & Entities

• Madhu
• Kaiṭabha
• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Vedas
• Mahārṇava (great ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Revelation (Veda) is depicted as vulnerable to adharma, necessitating divine protection and restoration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No earthly tīrtha is mentioned; the scene is set in the cosmic waters (mahārṇava).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the mythic incident.