Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

तस्माद्वारय तं गत्वा स्वयमेव पितामह । यावन्न व्याप्यते सर्वं तत्सष्ट्येदं चराचरम्

Transliteration

tasmādvāraya taṃ gatvā svayameva pitāmaha | yāvanna vyāpyate sarvaṃ tatsaṣṭyedaṃ carācaram

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട്, ഹേ പിതാമഹാ (ബ്രഹ്മാ)! നിങ്ങൾ തന്നെ ചെന്നു അവനെ തടയുക; ഈ ചരാചര ലോകം ആ (പുതിയ) സൃഷ്ടിയാൽ മുഴുവനായി വ്യാപിക്കപ്പെടുന്നതിന് മുമ്പേ.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore, from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-प्रयोगः, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• वारय: restrain, stop
• वारय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वारय (णिजन्त) ← वṛ/वृ (धातु: to restrain)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः (2nd person), एकवचनम्

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; ‘having gone’

• स्वयम्: yourself
• स्वयम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; आत्मवाचक (reflexive adverb: oneself)

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

• पितामह: O Grandfather (Brahmā)
• पितामह: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Sambandha (Clause linker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; यावत्-शब्दः (correlative: as long as/until)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• व्याप्यते: spreads, becomes pervaded
• व्याप्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः—‘is pervaded/spreads’

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम (here: ‘that’)

• सृष्टि: creation
• सृष्टि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (here in apposition with तत्)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• चर-अचरम्: the moving and the unmoving
• चर-अचरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चर (प्रातिपदिक) + अचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः—‘moving and unmoving (beings)’

Speaker

Unspecified (addressing Brahmā as Pitāmaha)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brahmā (Pitāmaha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A deity or messenger urgently petitions Brahmā, pointing toward a swelling multitude of beings spreading across the worlds; Brahmā’s face is grave, poised to intervene.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Viśvāmitra (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual power must remain aligned with universal order; when imbalance threatens, divine governance (Brahmā) intervenes to restore dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a narrative bridge within the Tīrthamāhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse focuses on restraining an act of creation rather than prescribing a rite.