Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

सन्न्यधत्त पुरस्तस्य गालवस्य महामुनेः । आविर्भूतं तदा दृष्ट्वा श्रीवत्सांकितवक्षसम्

Transliteration

sannyadhatta purastasya gālavasya mahāmuneḥ | āvirbhūtaṃ tadā dṛṣṭvā śrīvatsāṃkitavakṣasam

Translation

Kemudian Baginda menzahirkan diri dan berdiri di hadapan mahāmuni Gālava; tatkala sang resi melihat Tuhan yang nyata, dengan tanda Śrīvatsa pada dada-Nya, beliau menatap dengan rasa gerun dan penuh bhakti.

Word by Word

• सन्न्यधत्त: placed / set down
• सन्न्यधत्त: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धा (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्गः—सम् + नि; परस्मैपदम्

• पुरस्तस्य: in front (of)
• पुरस्तस्य: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरस् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय ‘पुरस्’ + तसिल्/तस्य-प्रयोगः; अर्थे—‘in front of’; here used as indeclinable governing genitive

• गालवस्य: of Gālava
• गालवस्य: Sampradana/Relation (Recipient relation via genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• महामुनेः: of the great sage
• महामुनेः: Sampradana/Relation (Recipient relation via genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् मुनिः)

• आविर्भूतम्: manifest
• आविर्भूतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आविर् + भू (धातु)
• Form: भूतकाले क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past participle), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग; ‘manifested/appeared’

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/absolutive), ‘having seen’

• श्रीवत्साङ्कितवक्षसम्: whose chest is marked with the Śrīvatsa
• श्रीवत्साङ्कितवक्षसम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रीवत्स + अङ्कित + वक्षस् (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (श्रीवत्सेन अङ्कितं वक्षः यस्य)

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu / Setubandha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa audience (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The great sage Gālava stands before the manifested Lord; Viṣṇu’s chest bears the Śrīvatsa mark; the sage’s posture conveys awe and reverent stillness as the Lord ‘stands before him’ in direct presence.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Viṣṇu
• Śrīvatsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When the sacred and the sincere meet, the Lord ‘becomes visible’—a Purāṇic affirmation of grace responding to tapas and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu tīrtha, where the narrative anchors Gālava’s direct vision of the Lord.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse describes the event of darśana rather than a formal rite.