Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 121

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मे मुहूर्ते बुध्येन धर्मार्थौ चापि चिन्तयेत् । समुत्थाय तथाचम्य दंतधावनपूर्वकम्

Transliteration

brāhme muhūrte budhyena dharmārthau cāpi cintayet | samutthāya tathācamya daṃtadhāvanapūrvakam

Translation

ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮ ਮੁਹੂਰਤ ਵਿੱਚ, ਸੁੱਧ ਬੁੱਧੀ ਨਾਲ ਧਰਮ ਅਤੇ ਅਰਥ ਦਾ ਚਿੰਤਨ ਕਰੇ। ਫਿਰ ਉੱਠ ਕੇ ਆਚਮਨ ਕਰੇ ਅਤੇ ਦੰਦ ਸਾਫ਼ ਕਰਨ ਆਦਿ ਕਰਮ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਕਰੇ।

Word by Word

• brāhme: in the Brahma (early-morning)
• brāhme: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brāhma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमीविभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्—‘muhūrte’ इत्यस्य

• muhūrte: at the muhūrta (auspicious time)
• muhūrte: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muhūrta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमीविभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्

• budhyena: with intellect
• budhyena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचनम्

• dharma-arthau: dharma and artha
• dharma-arthau: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्विवचनम्; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd) द्विवचनरूपम्; द्वन्द्वसमासः

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-भावार्थक-अव्ययम् (particle: also/even)

• cintayet: should contemplate
• cintayet: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cint (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• samutthāya: having risen
• samutthāya: Pūrvakāla (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ut-sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (absolutive/gerund)

• tathā: then/thus
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्ययम् (adverb: thus/then)

• ācamya: having sipped (water for purification)
• ācamya: Pūrvakāla (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-cam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (absolutive/gerund)

• daṃtadhāvana-pūrvakam: with tooth-cleaning done first
• daṃtadhāvana-pūrvakam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/Instrumental sense)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daṃta (प्रातिपदिक) + dhāvana (प्रातिपदिक) + pūrvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; ‘pūrvaka’ इति उत्तरपदम्—‘with tooth-cleaning as prior’

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (pārthiva) implied by surrounding address in the sequence

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pre-dawn interior: a sādhaka rises in brāhma-muhūrta, sits briefly in contemplation, then performs ācamana with a small water vessel; toothbrush twig and water pot nearby; faint starlight at the window.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhma-muhūrta
• Dharma
• Artha
• Ācamana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual life is anchored in daily discipline: early rising, reflective intention, and bodily-ritual purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; it presents a universal daily regimen.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Rising at brāhma-muhūrta, reflecting on dharma/artha, and performing ācamana after basic morning cleansing.