Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मणो वचनं श्रुत्वा रमेश्वरमहेश्वरौ । कोपात्करालवदनौ दुष्प्रेक्ष्यौ तौ बभूवतुः

Transliteration

brahmaṇo vacanaṃ śrutvā rameśvaramaheśvarau | kopātkarālavadanau duṣprekṣyau tau babhūvatuḥ

Translation

Ao ouvirem as palavras de Brahmā, Rameśvara e Maheśvara inflamaram-se de ira; seus rostos tornaram-se terríveis, e era pavoroso contemplá-los.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (ब्रह्मन्-शब्दः), षष्ठी, एकवचन; Neuter stem, Genitive Singular

• वचनम्: word, command
• वचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative Singular

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु) + क्त्वा
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (पूर्वकाल), Absolutive (gerund)

• रमेश्वरमहेश्वरौ: Rameśvara and Maheśvara (Viṣṇu and Śiva)
• रमेश्वरमहेश्वरौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रमेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; रमा + ईश्वर) + महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; महा + ईश्वर)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (रमेश्वरश्च महेश्वरश्च), पुँल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; Dvandva, Masculine, Nominative Dual

• कोपात्: from anger
• कोपात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुँल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; Masculine, Ablative Singular

• करालवदनौ: having terrifying faces
• करालवदनौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कराल (प्रातिपदिक) + वदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (करालं वदनं यस्य), पुँल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; Karmadharaya adjective, Masculine Nom Dual

• दुष्प्रेक्ष्यौ: hard to behold
• दुष्प्रेक्ष्यौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्- (उपसर्ग) + √ईक्ष् (धातु) + यत् (प्रत्यय) → प्रेक्ष्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (यत्/ण्यत्-अर्थे ‘-able’), पुँल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; Adjectival derivative 'hard to look at', Masculine Nom Dual

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुँल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative Dual

• बभूवतुः: became
• बभूवतुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्ण), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन; Perfect, Parasmaipada, 3rd person dual

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (Rāmeśvara)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas implied; internal addressee is the narrative audience witnessing Brahmā’s words

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāmeśvara and Maheśvara, upon hearing Brahmā’s message, blaze with anger; their faces become terrifying, radiating protective ferocity.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Rameśvara
• Maheśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine anger in Purāṇic theology is not mere passion—it is a corrective force aimed at removing oppression and restoring dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setu/Rāmeśvaram frame is implied through the epithet Rameśvara within Setukhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.