Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

वसिष्ठं चाग्रतः कृत्वा प्रतस्थे पश्चिमां दिशम् । ग्रामाद्ग्राममतिक्रम्य देशाद्देशं वनाद्वनम्

Transliteration

vasiṣṭhaṃ cāgrataḥ kṛtvā pratasthe paścimāṃ diśam | grāmādgrāmamatikramya deśāddeśaṃ vanādvanam

Translation

ทรงให้พระวสิษฐ์อยู่เบื้องหน้า แล้วเสด็จมุ่งสู่ทิศตะวันตก ผ่านหมู่บ้านแล้วหมู่บ้าน ผ่านแว่นแคว้นแล้วแว่นแคว้น ผ่านพงไพรแล้วพงไพร

Word by Word

• वसिष्ठम्: Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अग्रतः: in front
• अग्रतः: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्रतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• कृत्वा: having placed
• कृत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; धातु: कृ

• प्रतस्थे: set out
• प्रतस्थे: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-स्था (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: स्था (गत्यर्थ)

• पश्चिमाम्: western
• पश्चिमाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Acc. sg.); विशेषणम्

• दिशम्: direction
• दिशम्: Karma (Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

• ग्रामात्: from a village
• ग्रामात्: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Abl. sg.)

• ग्रामम्: to (another) village
• ग्रामम्: Karma (Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

• अतिक्रम्य: passing beyond, traversing
• अतिक्रम्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अति-क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष (gerund) ‘अतिक्रम्य’; धातु: क्रम्

• देशात्: from a region
• देशात्: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Abl. sg.)

• देशम्: to (another) region
• देशम्: Karma (Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

• वनात्: from a forest
• वनात्: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Abl. sg.)

• वनम्: to (another) forest
• वनम्: Karma (Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vasiṣṭha leads a long caravan moving westward; the landscape shifts in panels—villages with fields, then open country, then dense forests—showing the continuity of the sacred journey.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Vasiṣṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is portrayed as sustained dharmic effort—crossing many landscapes under a guru’s lead.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions as a travel-frame leading into Dharmāraṇya’s sacred geography rather than naming a single tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated here; the emphasis is on the disciplined progression of yātrā (pilgrimage travel).