Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

युगानामयुतं ब्रह्म गृणन्विप्राः सनातनम् । दयायुक्तो निराहारः सत्यवान्विजितेंद्रियः

Transliteration

yugānāmayutaṃ brahma gṛṇanviprāḥ sanātanam | dayāyukto nirāhāraḥ satyavānvijiteṃdriyaḥ

Translation

ഹേ വിപ്രന്മാരേ! പത്തായിരം യുഗങ്ങൾ അദ്ദേഹം സനാതന ബ്രഹ്മനെ സ്തുതിച്ചു—കരുണയോടെ, നിരാഹാരനായി, സത്യനിഷ്ഠനായി, ഇന്ദ്രിയജയിയായി.

Word by Word

• युगानाम्: of ages
• युगानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• अयुतम्: ten thousand (a myriad)
• अयुतम्: Karma (Measure/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक

• ब्रह्म: Brahman / the Absolute
• ब्रह्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; ‘गृणन्’ इत्यस्य कर्म

• गृणन्: praising/reciting
• गृणन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गॄ (धातु) → गृणत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘स्तुवन्/कीर्तयन्’

• विप्राः: brahmins / the sage
• विप्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; (पाठे सम्भवः ‘विप्रः’ एकवचन)

• सनातनम्: eternal
• सनातनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; ‘ब्रह्म’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• दयायुक्तः: endowed with compassion
• दयायुक्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दया (प्रातिपदिक) + युक्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (दयया युक्तः)

• निराहारः: without food/fasting
• निराहारः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् (उपसर्ग) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; नञ्/उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (आहारः नास्ति यस्य)

• सत्यवान्: truthful
• सत्यवान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; वत्-प्रत्ययान्त

• विजितेन्द्रियः: one who has conquered the senses
• विजितेन्द्रियः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + जि (धातु) → विजित (कृदन्त) + इन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (विजितानि इन्द्रियाणि यस्य)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (contextual deduction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharma-puṣkariṇī / Kṣīra-saras tapas-sthāna

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A timeless tableau: Gālava seated immovable in deep meditation beside sacred waters, seasons passing around him (sun, moon, stars), his body austere yet radiant, with a subtle vision of the formless Brahman or Viṣṇu’s presence as light.

Characters & Entities

• Brahman (Sanātana Brahma)
• Gālava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True tīrtha-fruit is amplified by inner dharma—compassion, truthfulness, fasting, and mastery of the senses.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setu-region setting continues indirectly: the sage’s extraordinary tapas at the previously named sacred waters frames the tīrtha’s greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nirāhāra (fasting) and sustained stotra/japa-like praise of the eternal Brahman are presented as key disciplines.