Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

वालखिल्यान्ससंभारान्ह्रस्वानंगुष्ठमात्रकान् । मज्जतो गोष्पदजले दृष्ट्वा हसितवान्भवान्

Transliteration

vālakhilyānsasaṃbhārānhrasvānaṃguṣṭhamātrakān | majjato goṣpadajale dṛṣṭvā hasitavānbhavān

Translation

เมื่อท่านเห็นพวกวาลขิลยะ—ผู้เล็กเพียงขนาดนิ้วหัวแม่มือ—แบกสัมภาระยัญพิธีแล้วกลับจมลงในน้ำเพียงรอยกีบโค ท่านก็ทรงหัวเราะ

Word by Word

• वालखिल्यान्: Vālakhilya sages
• वालखिल्यान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वालखिल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• स: with
• स: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक-पूर्वपद (meaning ‘with’)

• संभारान्: materials, provisions
• संभारान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संभार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• ह्रस्वान्: short, tiny
• ह्रस्वान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ह्रस्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying वालखिल्यान्)

• अङ्गुष्ठ: thumb
• अङ्गुष्ठ: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपदत्वेन

• मात्रकान्: thumb-sized
• मात्रकान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मात्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: अङ्गुष्ठमात्रक = अङ्गुष्ठमात्रः (thumb-sized)

• मज्जतः: of (them) sinking
• मज्जतः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मज्ज् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), परस्मैपद; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन; धातु: मज्ज् (to sink)

• गोष्पद: cow-hoofprint
• गोष्पद: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तत्पुरुष: गोः पदम् (cow’s hoofprint); समासपूर्वपदत्वेन

• जले: in the water (of a hoofprint)
• जले: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: गोष्पदजले = गोष्पदस्य जले (in the water in a hoofprint)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययभावः; धातु: दृश्

• हसितवान्: laughed
• हसितवान्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हस् (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; धातु: हस् (to laugh)

• भवान्: you (honored)
• भवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; आदरार्थक (honorific ‘you’)

Speaker

Bṛhaspati (addressing Indra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra laughs as he sees the thumb-sized Vālakhilyas, burdened with sacrificial loads, struggling and sinking in a tiny hoof-print puddle; their dignity contrasts with their small bodies.

Characters & Entities

• Vālakhilya Ṛṣis
• Indra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mockery of ascetics is a dharmic fault; spiritual stature is not measured by physical size or worldly might.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse explains the moral cause leading to later events.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No prescription; it references carrying yajña materials.