Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

भूत्वा विष्णुस्वरूपास्ते चक्रिणश्च चतुर्भुजाः । सुव्रीडिता गताः सर्वे विश्वरूपो सहायतः

Transliteration

bhūtvā viṣṇusvarūpāste cakriṇaśca caturbhujāḥ | suvrīḍitā gatāḥ sarve viśvarūpo sahāyataḥ

Translation

พวกเขาแปลงกายเป็นรูปดุจพระวิษณุ—ทรงจักรและมีสี่กร—แล้วต่างพากันจากไปด้วยความละอายยิ่ง; ส่วนพระผู้เป็นเจ้า “วิศวรูป” ทรงยืนเป็นผู้คุ้มครองและผู้เกื้อกูล

Word by Word

• bhūtvā: having become
• bhūtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (gerund); ‘भूत्वा’ = भूय/भवित्वा

• viṣṇu-svarūpāḥ: having Viṣṇu’s form
• viṣṇu-svarūpāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + sva-rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (viṣṇoḥ svarūpāḥ)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• cakriṇaḥ: bearing the discus
• cakriṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cakrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (te)

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

• caturbhujāḥ: four-armed
• caturbhujāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur-bhuja (प्रातिपदिक; चतुर् + भुज)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः (caturṇāṃ bhujānāṃ samāhāraḥ/यस्य)

• suvrīḍitāḥ: greatly ashamed
• suvrīḍitāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su-vrīḍita (प्रातिपदिक; सु + व्रीडित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; उपसर्ग-समास/उपपद-तत्पुरुषः; विशेषणम् (te)

• gatāḥ: went away
• gatāḥ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/कर्तरि कृदन्तम्; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; मुख्यक्रियार्थे (they went)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (te)

• viśvarūpaḥ: the Universal-Formed One (Viṣṇu)
• viśvarūpaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva-rūpa (प्रातिपदिक; विश्व + रूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः; (अध्याहृतः ‘हरिः/विष्णुः’)

• sahāyataḥ: as helper, as support
• sahāyataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सहायतः’ = सहायकः (agent noun)

Speaker

Unspecified in this verse (contextually within Mārkaṇḍeya’s narration in Adhyāya 194)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yakṣas and rākṣasas mimic Viṣṇu with four arms and discus, but flee in shame as the true Viśvarūpa stands revealed as the helper—radiant, vast, and unmistakable.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Cakra
• Viśvarūpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Imitation of divinity through deception collapses before the true Divine, who protects the sincere devotee.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is the Revā (Narmadā) region; this verse emphasizes divine intervention rather than a named spot.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it supports the later teaching on worship and merit connected with Revā-tīrtha.