Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

तन्निरूपयितुं ब्रह्मा ससर्जोर्ध्वगतं मुखम् । तपोबलविसृष्टेन पंचमेन मुखेन सः

Transliteration

tannirūpayituṃ brahmā sasarjordhvagataṃ mukham | tapobalavisṛṣṭena paṃcamena mukhena saḥ

Translation

Untuk menyingkap rahsia itu, Brahmā menzahirkan satu wajah yang menghadap ke atas—wajahnya yang kelima—terjelma oleh kekuatan tapa (pertapaan) baginda.

Word by Word

• tat: that (thing)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• nirūpayitum: to ascertain/examine
• nirūpayitum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir-√rūp (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), अव्यय-प्रयोग; अर्थः—‘to examine/ascertain’

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• sasarja: created/emitted
• sasarja: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sṛj (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• ūrdhva-gatam: gone upward; upward-facing
• ūrdhva-gatam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (√gam, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (mukham)

• mukham: face/mouth
• mukham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• tapas-bala-visṛṣṭena: produced by the power of austerity
• tapas-bala-visṛṣṭena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक) + visṛṣṭa (√sṛj, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; नपुंसक/पुं-समर्थ (इह ‘mukhena’ इति सह)

• paṃcamena: with the fifth
• paṃcamena: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṃcama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषणम् (mukhena)

• mukhena: with (his) face/mouth
• mukhena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Setu-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra / Setubandha (frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/Śaunaka group (typical frame; not specified in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā, intent on resolving a mystery, manifests an upward-facing fifth mouth/face through tapas; the new face is oriented toward a blazing sphere of radiance above.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity (tapas) is portrayed as a real spiritual power that can manifest extraordinary capacities, but it must remain aligned with humility and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits in the Setu-khaṇḍa framework, traditionally tied to Setubandha/Rāmeśvaram sacred geography, though this particular line focuses on a cosmological episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; the emphasis is on tapas as a spiritual discipline.