Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

तच्छब्दाभिमुखः सद्यः प्रययौ स दरीमुखम् । तत्रत्या मुनयोऽप्याशु समागच्छंस्तमाश्रमम्

Transliteration

tacchabdābhimukhaḥ sadyaḥ prayayau sa darīmukham | tatratyā munayo'pyāśu samāgacchaṃstamāśramam

Translation

ครั้นหันสู่ทิศแห่งเสียงนั้นทันที เขารีบไปยังปากถ้ำ และเหล่ามุนีผู้พำนัก ณ ที่นั้นก็เร่งมาชุมนุม ณ อาศรมแห่งนั้น

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण (pronominal adjective), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• śabda: sound, cry
• śabda: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śabda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रातिपदिक-रूप (compound member)

• abhimukhaḥ: facing toward
• abhimukhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhimukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• sadyaḥ: immediately
• sadyaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb), अव्यय

• prayayau: went forth
• prayayau: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√yā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• darīmukham: the mouth/entrance of a cave
• darīmukham: Karma (Goal/Object as destination)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darī (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/सप्तमी-भाव): darī-mukha; नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• tatratyāḥ: those living there
• tatratyāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tatra (अव्यय) + tya (प्रातिपदिक-प्रत्यय)
• Form: विशेषण (adjective) 'there-dwelling', पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• munayaḥ: sages
• munayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: also/too), अव्यय

• āśu: quickly
• āśu: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āśu (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: quickly), अव्यय

• samāgacchan: coming together, arriving
• samāgacchan: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√gam (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle, शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• tam: that
• tam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण, पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• āśramam: hermitage
• āśramam: Karma (Goal/Object as destination)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āśrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Setukhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: cave

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śaṅkara rushes toward a cave entrance, body angled forward; from surrounding hermitages, sages emerge and converge, carrying kamaṇḍalus and staffs; the cave-mouth looms as a dark arch amid trees.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (implied 'saḥ')
• muni (sages)
• āśrama (hermitage)
• darī (cave)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In a dharmic calamity, the righteous assemble—community of sages becomes a vehicle for discernment, protection, and restoration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse depicts an āśrama landscape within the Setukhaṇḍa frame; the broader tīrtha context remains Setu/Rāmeśvaram.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.