Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

यजतश्च मखे भक्त्या ब्राह्मणैः सह भारत । ततश्चादर्शनं वह्निः सर्वेषां पश्यतामगात्

Transliteration

yajataśca makhe bhaktyā brāhmaṇaiḥ saha bhārata | tataścādarśanaṃ vahniḥ sarveṣāṃ paśyatāmagāt

Translation

हे भारत! तो ब्राह्मणांसह भक्तीने यज्ञ करीत असता, सर्वांच्या डोळ्यांसमोरच वह्नि (अग्नी) अदृश्य झाला.

Word by Word

• यजतः: (they) two were sacrificing
• यजतः: Kriyā (Subordinate action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd); द्विवचन (dual); परस्मैपद; (यजतः = ‘they two perform sacrifice’)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• मखे: in the sacrifice
• मखे: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th) एकवचन

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karaṇa (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd) एकवचन

• ब्राह्मणैः: with brahmins
• ब्राह्मणैः: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd) बहुवचन

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक (postposition ‘with’, governing instrumental)

• भारत: O Bhārata
• भारत: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th) एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kāla/Hetu (Temporal/causal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/अनन्तरार्थक (then/from that)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• अदर्शनम्: disappearance
• अदर्शनम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ-दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd) एकवचन

• वह्निः: Fire (Agni)
• वह्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st) एकवचन

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस; षष्ठी (6th) बहुवचन

• पश्यताम्: while (they) were watching
• पश्यताम्: Adhikaraṇa (Circumstantial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु) → पश्यत् (शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle, शतृ); पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th) बहुवचन; ‘while (they) were seeing’ (genitive absolute sense)

• अगात्: went, passed into
• अगात्: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (aorist); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (Narmadā region)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied epic-audience addressee (‘Bhārata’) and the outer ṛṣi audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the midst of a blazing sacrificial fire and chanting brāhmaṇas, Agni suddenly disappears in full view; flames collapse into smoke, leaving the vedi eerily empty as all stare.

Characters & Entities

• Vahni (Agni)
• Brāhmaṇas
• Bhārata (addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion alone cannot substitute for dharmic harmony; when the divine principle (Agni) withdraws, ritual power collapses in public view.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly; the verse contributes to the Revā-khaṇḍa’s broader sacred-geography narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performance of yajña with brāhmaṇas and devotion (bhakti); no specific oblation formula is cited.