Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

तापसैर्वेष्टितो यत्र ददृशे तत्र सन्निधौ । दण्डवासिवचः श्रुत्वा प्रत्यक्षाङ्गविभूषणम्

Transliteration

tāpasairveṣṭito yatra dadṛśe tatra sannidhau | daṇḍavāsivacaḥ śrutvā pratyakṣāṅgavibhūṣaṇam

Translation

ในที่นั้น ณ เบื้องพระพักตร์ของเขาเอง ข้าพเจ้าเห็นเขาถูกเหล่าฤๅษีตบะรายล้อม ครั้นได้ยินถ้อยคำของยามผู้ถือทัณฑ์ ก็ประจักษ์ชัดถึงเครื่องหมายและเครื่องประดับแห่งกายเป็นพยานตรง

Word by Word

• तापसैः: by/with ascetics
• तापसैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचनम्

• वेष्टितः: surrounded
• वेष्टितः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वेष्ट् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Relative location marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक-सम्बन्ध

• ददृशे: was seen/appeared
• ददृशे: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb of place)

• सन्निधौ: in (their) presence/nearby
• सन्निधौ: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्

• दण्ड-वासि-वचः: the words of the staff-bearing (ascetic)
• दण्ड-वासि-वचः: Karma (Object of ‘श्रुत्वा’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक) + वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः): दण्डवासिनः वचः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावेन

• प्रत्यक्ष-अङ्ग-विभूषणम्: a manifest ornament of the body (i.e., visible mark/adornment)
• प्रत्यक्ष-अङ्ग-विभूषणम्: Karma/Viseshya (Appositional object; context-dependent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रत्यक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + विभूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः): प्रत्यक्षं यद् अङ्गविभूषणम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

Speaker

City-guard / witness continuing his report (implied)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Māṇḍavya-āśrama (within Revā region)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the hermitage, Māṇḍavya sits with ascetics encircling him; a staff-bearing guard speaks, and the observer notes visible ‘ornaments/marks’ on the body as proof; tension between sanctity and suspicion.

Characters & Entities

• Ascetics (tāpasāḥ)
• Guard (daṇḍa-bearing officer)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True judgment in dharma should rely on pratyakṣa (direct evidence) and responsible inquiry, even when ascetic settings are involved.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ascetic āśrama setting is referenced, but no specific tīrtha is praised in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it emphasizes observation and evidentiary certainty.