Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

शीघ्रं गत्वा ततोऽपश्यद्ब्राह्मणं ब्रह्मतेजसा । हाहा कष्टं कृतं मेऽद्य येनासौ घातितो द्विजः

Transliteration

śīghraṃ gatvā tato'paśyadbrāhmaṇaṃ brahmatejasā | hāhā kaṣṭaṃ kṛtaṃ me'dya yenāsau ghātito dvijaḥ

Translation

เมื่อรีบเสด็จไปที่นั่น พระองค์ก็ทอดพระเนตรเห็นพราหมณ์ผู้รุ่งโรจน์ด้วยตบะบารมี “อนิจจา! วันนี้ข้าพเจ้าได้ทำกรรมหนักอันใดหนอ ที่ทำให้พราหมณ์ผู้นี้ต้องสิ้นชีพ!”

Word by Word

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-द्वितीया एकवचन (adverbial accusative: quickly)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकाल (having gone)

• ततः: then; from there
• ततः: Adverbial (देश/क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (then/from there)

• अपश्यत्: he saw
• अपश्यत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत/imperf.), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ब्राह्मणम्: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative sg.)

• ब्रह्मतेजसा: by Brahmanic radiance
• ब्रह्मतेजसा: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मणः तेजसा (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• हाहा: alas!
• हाहा: Sambodhana/Exclamation (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हाहा (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: उद्गार-निपात (interjection)

• कष्टम्: misfortune
• कष्टम्: Karma/Predicate nominal (कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कृतम्: has been done
• कृतम्: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मे: by me; for me
• मे: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive/dative enclitic)

• अद्य: today
• अद्य: Adverbial (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (today/now)

• येन: by whom; whereby
• येन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental sg.)

• असौ: that (person)
• असौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative sg.)

• घातितः: was killed
• घातितः: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: घातय् (णिच्) ← हन् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग

• द्विजः: the Brahmin (twice-born)
• द्विजः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative sg.)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, third-person narration within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-khaṇḍa (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king rushes into a clearing and sees a radiant brāhmaṇa; the king’s face collapses into remorse as he realizes the victim’s identity.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Immediate remorse and recognition of dharma are the first steps toward purification when a grave wrong has occurred.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage sits in the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā sacred geography), though this verse itself focuses on the ethical crisis rather than naming a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces the recognition of brahmahatyā and the need for expiation.