Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

देवा ऊचुः । न दैत्यस्य भयं जातं यज्ञ कर्मोत्सुका वयम् । त्वद्दर्शनपराः सर्वे पश्यामो वै दिशो दश

Transliteration

devā ūcuḥ | na daityasya bhayaṃ jātaṃ yajña karmotsukā vayam | tvaddarśanaparāḥ sarve paśyāmo vai diśo daśa

Translation

เหล่าเทวะกล่าวว่า “พวกเราไม่หวาดกลัวอสูร เพราะเราปรารถนาจะดำเนินพิธียัญต่อไป เทพทั้งปวงมุ่งหวังจะได้ทัศนะของพระองค์ จึงเฝ้ามองไปทั่วทั้งสิบทิศเพื่อการปรากฏอันเป็นมงคล”

Word by Word

• devāḥ: the gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• daityasya: of the demon
• daityasya: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• jātam: has arisen
• jātam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु) + jāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृत्-प्रत्यय (Past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भावे प्रयोगः—‘has arisen’

• yajña: sacrifice
• yajña: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular) (समासपूर्वपद)

• karmotsukāḥ: eager for the rite/work
• karmotsukāḥ: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karma (प्रातिपदिक) + utsuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (karmani utsukāḥ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• vayam: we
• vayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम (1st person pronoun), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• tvad-darśana-parāḥ: intent on seeing you
• tvad-darśana-parāḥ: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + darśana (प्रातिपदिक) + para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (tvad-darśane parāḥ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

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

• paśyāmaḥ: we see / we look
• paśyāmaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• diśaḥ: directions
• diśaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन

• daśa: ten
• daśa: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśan (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण (numeral adjective), द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (diśaḥ इति पदस्य विशेषणम्)

Speaker

Devāḥ (the gods)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara/Viṣṇu (addressed as the one to be beheld)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of devas at a yajña-vedi, hands folded, scanning the ten directions for the Lord’s auspicious appearance; sacred fire blazing, banners and ladles, anxious yet resolute faces.

Characters & Entities

• Devāḥ
• Daitya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When sacred duty (yajña-karma) is upheld with devotion and the longing for divine darśana, fear of hostile forces diminishes and faith becomes steadfast.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse itself does not name a tīrtha; it sits within the Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa context, where the forest-sacred geography (Dharmāraṇya) is the broader setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific dāna/snānā/japa is prescribed here; the emphasis is on continuing yajña (sacrificial rites) with eagerness and devotion.