Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

आजगाम ततोऽपश्यंस्तमृषिं तस्करानुगाः । तमपृच्छंस्तदा वृत्तं रक्षिणस्तं तपोधनम्

Transliteration

ājagāma tato'paśyaṃstamṛṣiṃ taskarānugāḥ | tamapṛcchaṃstadā vṛttaṃ rakṣiṇastaṃ tapodhanam

Translation

แล้วบรรดาผู้ติดตามโจรก็มาถึง ครั้นเห็นฤๅษีนั้นแล้ว เหล่าทหารยามจึงไต่ถามฤๅษีผู้มั่งคั่งด้วยตบะถึงเหตุการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้น

Word by Word

• आजगाम: came/arrived
• आजगाम: Kriyā (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: आ

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kālādhi karaṇa/Krama
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक अव्यय (thereupon)

• अपश्यन्: seeing
• अपश्यन्: Karta (agent-participle agreeing with subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पश् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘seeing’ (contemporaneous action)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karman (object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• ऋषिम्: the sage
• ऋषिम्: Karman (object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; apposition to ‘तम्’

• तस्करानुगाः: followers of the thieves
• तस्करानुगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तस्कर + अनुग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तस्कराणाम् अनुगाः)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karman (object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• अपृच्छन्: asked
• अपृच्छन्: Kriyā (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-छ् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: अपि/आ? (here simple √पृच्छ् with augment a-)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kālādhi karaṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (then)

• वृत्तम्: what happened/the matter
• वृत्तम्: Karman (object; thing asked)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्त (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• रक्षिणः: the guards
• रक्षिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; apposition to ‘तस्करानुगाः’

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karman (object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• तपोधनम्: the ascetic (rich in austerity)
• तपोधनम्: Karman (object; apposition to ‘तम्’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् + धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समास: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तपसः धनम् = whose wealth is austerity)

Speaker

Deductive: Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A royal addressee is implied by 'rājan' in the surrounding passage; also fits Sūta-to-sages frame.

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Guards and pursuers arrive at the hermitage and see a serene sage seated; they question him urgently while he remains composed.

Characters & Entities

• ṛṣi
• rakṣiṇaḥ (guards)
• taskara (thieves)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Society seeks truth from the righteous; a sage’s conduct becomes the measure of dharma under pressure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred setting frames the episode; the āśrama is portrayed as a spiritually charged place where dharma is tested.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse sets up an ethical conflict around truth, pursuit, and the ascetic’s vow.