Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

यद्भवान्भवभीतानां त्राता नयनगोचरः । कस्माद्देशादिहायातो भवान्भवभयापहः

Transliteration

yadbhavānbhavabhītānāṃ trātā nayanagocaraḥ | kasmāddeśādihāyāto bhavānbhavabhayāpahaḥ

Translation

നിങ്ങൾ—സംസാരഭീതരുടെ ത്രാതാവ്—എന്റെ ദൃഷ്ടിഗോചരനായിരിക്കുന്നു; ഹേ ഭവഭയാപഹ, ഏത് ദേശത്തിൽ നിന്നാണ് നിങ്ങൾ ഇവിടെ വന്നത്?

Word by Word

• yat: since/that (fact that)
• yat: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; correlating particle ‘since/that’ (elliptic)

• bhavān: you
• bhavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भवत्-शब्दः (honorific pronoun), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• bhava-bhītānām: of those afraid of worldly existence
• bhava-bhītānām: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक) + bhīta (कृदन्त)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः; ‘bhavena bhītāḥ’), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; dependent genitive with ‘trātā’

• trātā: protector, savior
• trātā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: trā (धातु) → trātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; agent noun

• nayana-gocaraḥ: visible to the eyes
• nayana-gocaraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nayana (प्रातिपदिक) + gocara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः; ‘nayanayoḥ gocaraḥ’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; qualifies ‘bhavān’

• kasmāt: from where?
• kasmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (ablative: ‘from what/whence’)

• deśāt: from (which) place
• deśāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

• āyātaḥ: come
• āyātaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā + yā (धातु) → āyāta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; agrees with ‘bhavān’

• bhavān: you
• bhavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भवत्-शब्दः, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (repeated for emphasis)

• bhava-bhaya-apahaḥ: remover of fear of worldly existence
• bhava-bhaya-apahaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक) + bhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + apaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः; ‘bhavabhayaṃ apahanti’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; qualifies ‘bhavān’

Speaker

Unnamed petitioner/king (addressing Gautama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee, overwhelmed by relief, addresses the fear-dispelling savior now within sight, asking from which region he has come—an inquiry filled with reverence and hope.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Bhava (Saṃsāra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A realized sage is portrayed as a refuge who dispels existential fear; seeking such guidance is itself a dharmic turning point.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No explicit tīrtha is named; the verse centers on the saint’s presence as a source of protection.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is an inquiry expressing śaraṇāgati (seeking refuge).