Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

भ्रमंश्चापि चतुर्वक्त्रो यावत्पश्यति दूरतः । चतुर्भुजं विशालाक्षं पुरुषं पुरतः स्थितम्

Transliteration

bhramaṃścāpi caturvaktro yāvatpaśyati dūrataḥ | caturbhujaṃ viśālākṣaṃ puruṣaṃ purataḥ sthitam

Translation

Dan ketika Yang Bermuka Empat (Brahmā) mengembara, dari kejauhan baginda melihat seorang Purusha Ilahi berdiri di hadapannya—berlengan empat, bermata luas dan agung.

Word by Word

• bhraman: wandering
• bhraman: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhram (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (शतृ-प्रत्यय present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “भ्रमन्/परिभ्रमन्”

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक conjunction: “and”)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अपि = also/even)

• caturvaktraḥ: the four-faced one (Brahmā)
• caturvaktraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur-vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (catur + vaktra “four-faced”, i.e., Brahmā)

• yāvat: as far as / until
• yāvat: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/अवधि-bodhana: “as far as/while”)

• paśyati: sees
• paśyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• dūrataḥ: from a distance
• dūrataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dūra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त adverb: “from afar”)

• caturbhujam: four-armed
• caturbhujam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur-bhuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (catur + bhuja “four-armed”)

• viśālākṣam: large-eyed
• viśālākṣam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśāla-akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (viśāla + akṣa “large-eyed”)

• puruṣam: a person (divine being)
• puruṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• purataḥ: in front
• purataḥ: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puratas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक adverb: “in front”)

• sthitam: standing
• sthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (puruṣam इति विशेषणम्)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā moving through emptiness, then beholding from afar a radiant four-armed, large-eyed divine person standing calmly before him.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (Caturvaktra)
• Govinda/Viṣṇu (implied by four arms; explicit in 7)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine reveals itself to the seeker; the four-armed form signals protective, sustaining sovereignty in the cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a narrative lead-in within the Arbuda section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse.