Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

किं वच्मि लोकेश सुकीर्त्तिमद्य ते वेधास्त्वदीयांगजपद्मसंभवः । विश्वं निविष्टं च ततो ददर्श वटस्य पत्रे हि यथो वटो मतः

Transliteration

kiṃ vacmi lokeśa sukīrttimadya te vedhāstvadīyāṃgajapadmasaṃbhavaḥ | viśvaṃ niviṣṭaṃ ca tato dadarśa vaṭasya patre hi yatho vaṭo mataḥ

Translation

ഹേ ലോകേശാ! ഇന്ന് നിന്റെ സുകീർത്തിയെ ഞാൻ എന്തു പറയാം? നിന്റെ ദേഹജ പദ്മത്തിൽ നിന്നു ജനിച്ച വേധാ (ബ്രഹ്മാ) പോലും നിനക്കുള്ളിൽ സർവ്വവിശ്വവും നിവിഷ്ടമായിരിക്കുന്നതു കണ്ടു—വടപത്രത്തിൽ വടവൃക്ഷം തന്നെയെന്നപോലെ.

Word by Word

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative) एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम (interrogative pronoun)

• vacmi: do I say
• vacmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्, धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• lokeśa: O Lord of the world
• lokeśa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (लोकानाम् ईशः)

• sukīrtim: good fame
• sukīrtim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su-kīrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (सु + कीर्तिः)

• adya: today/now
• adya: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• te: of you/your
• te: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• vedhāḥ: Brahmā (the Creator)
• vedhāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vedhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ब्रह्मा-वाचक नाम

• tvadīya: your
• tvadīya: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tvadīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (possessive adjective)

• aṅga-ja: born from (your) body
• aṅga-ja: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅga + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (अङ्गात् जातम्)

• padma-saṃbhavaḥ: lotus-born (Brahmā)
• padma-saṃbhavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma + saṃbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (पद्मात् सम्भवः)

• viśvam: the universe
• viśvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• niviṣṭam: entered/contained
• niviṣṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ni-√viś (विश्, धातु) + kta
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (to viśvam)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्/ततः इति अव्यय; क्रम/अपादानार्थक (then/from there)

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश्, धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• vaṭasya: of the banyan tree
• vaṭasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• patre: on/in a leaf
• patre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/हेतु-प्राय (emphatic)

• yathā: as
• yathā: Upamana (Comparison marker/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (as/just as)

• vaṭaḥ: the banyan (tree)
• vaṭaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mataḥ: is considered/was thought
• mataḥ: Kriya (Predicative complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √man (मन्, धातु) + kta
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय (predicative)

Speaker

A woman devotee (speaker not named in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā, lotus-born, beholds the entire cosmos contained within the Lord—like a banyan tree mirrored within a single banyan leaf; a paradox of scale rendered as divine vision.

Characters & Entities

• Lokeśa (as Rāma/Viṣṇu)
• Brahmā (Vedhās)
• Lotus (Padma)
• Banyan (Vaṭa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Supreme Lord is the container of all creation; even the creator-god perceives the cosmos as resting within Him.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is a metaphysical praise within the Dharmāraṇya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a doctrinal stuti emphasizing the Lord’s cosmic nature.