Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

संकल्पपूर्वेण तदा विधिना विधिकोविदः । संकल्पेनैव महता ववृधे भगवानजः

Transliteration

saṃkalpapūrveṇa tadā vidhinā vidhikovidaḥ | saṃkalpenaiva mahatā vavṛdhe bhagavānajaḥ

Translation

അപ്പോൾ വിധികോവിദൻ സംकल्पപൂർവ്വം ശാസ്ത്രവിധിപ്രകാരം കര്‍മ്മം നിർവഹിച്ചു; ആ മഹാസങ്കൽപമാത്രത്താൽ അജൻ (അജന്മൻ) ഭഗവാൻ വികസിക്കുവാൻ തുടങ്ങി।

Word by Word

• संकल्पपूर्वेण: with (a rite) preceded by resolve
• संकल्पपूर्वेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संकल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (संकल्पः पूर्वः यस्य/संकल्पपूर्वः; ‘preceded by resolve’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; विधिना इत्यस्य विशेषण

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• विधिना: by the prescribed rite/method
• विधिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• विधिकोविदः: skilled in ritual procedure
• विधिकोविदः: Karta (Qualifier of subject/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक) + कोविद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (विधौ कोविदः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; भगवानजः इत्यस्य विशेषण

• संकल्पेन: by a resolve
• संकल्पेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संकल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• महता: great
• महता: Karana (Instrument qualifier/करण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; संकल्पेन इत्यस्य विशेषण

• ववृधे: grew/increased
• ववृधे: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृध् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अजः: the Unborn
• अजः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; भगवान् इत्यस्य विशेषण/अपपद

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa per Māheśvara-khaṇḍa convention)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vāmana, still in brahmacārin form, stands poised; a subtle aura begins to expand from him as the solemn saṅkalpa is completed with correct ritual gestures; the cosmos seems to respond.

Characters & Entities

• Vāmana/Viṣṇu (implied as the expanding Lord)
• Bali (ritual performer implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Saṅkalpa—clear, vowed intention—gives spiritual acts their transformative potency.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None explicitly; it explains the ritual-theological mechanism within the narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Saṅkalpa as the formal preface to ritual and dāna.