Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

अथाब्रवीत्पुनर्ब्रह्मा देवैः सार्धं हुताशनम् । अग्निहोत्रेषु विप्राणां प्रत्यक्षो भव पावक । सांप्रतं त्वं वरं मत्तः प्रार्थयस्वाभिवांछितम्

Transliteration

athābravītpunarbrahmā devaiḥ sārdhaṃ hutāśanam | agnihotreṣu viprāṇāṃ pratyakṣo bhava pāvaka | sāṃprataṃ tvaṃ varaṃ mattaḥ prārthayasvābhivāṃchitam

Translation

అప్పుడు బ్రహ్మదేవుడు దేవులతో కలిసి మళ్లీ హుతాశనుడు (అగ్ని)ని ఉద్దేశించి అన్నాడు—“ఓ పావకా, బ్రాహ్మణుల అగ్నిహోత్ర కర్మలలో ప్రత్యక్షంగా ప్రదర్శించు; ఇప్పుడు నన్ను కోరిన వరాన్ని అడుగు।”

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then)

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• punar: again
• punar: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरुक्ति/पुनः (again)

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• devaiḥ: with the gods
• devaiḥ: Sahakaraka (Instrumental of accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• sārdham: together with
• sārdham: Sahakaraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sārdham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, सहार्थक (with/together)

• hutāśanam: Agni (the eater of oblations)
• hutāśanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hutāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (addressed object)

• agni-hotreṣu: in the agnihotra rites
• agni-hotreṣu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni + hotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; अधिकरणे

• viprāṇām: of the brāhmaṇas
• viprāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• pratyakṣaḥ: visible, manifest
• pratyakṣaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratyakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (to implied 'tvam')

• bhava: become
• bhava: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• pāvaka: O purifier (Agni)
• pāvaka: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• sāṃpratam: now
• sāṃpratam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāṃpratam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (now/at present)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• varam: a boon
• varam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• mattaḥ: from me
• mattaḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

• prārthayasva: request
• prārthayasva: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√arth (धातु) (प्रार्थने)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• abhivāñchitam: desired
• abhivāñchitam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhi-√vañch (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म-विशेषण (qualifies varam)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vahnitīrtha (implied)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā, surrounded by devas, addresses Hutaśana (Agni), requesting him to become directly manifest in brāhmaṇas’ agnihotra rites and inviting him to ask a boon.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Devas
• Agni (Hutaśana, Pāvaka)
• Vipras (Brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vedic rites are living encounters with the divine; Agni is not symbolic alone but a sacred presence upheld by dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This instruction prepares the sanctification of Vahnitīrtha in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Agni is enjoined to be ‘pratyakṣa’ (manifest) in the agnihotra performed by brāhmaṇas.