Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

गौतमो ब्राह्मणस्त्वासीत्साक्षाद्ब्रह्मेव चापरः । सत्यधर्मसमायुक्तो वानप्रस्थाश्रमे रतः

Transliteration

gautamo brāhmaṇastvāsītsākṣādbrahmeva cāparaḥ | satyadharmasamāyukto vānaprasthāśrame rataḥ

Translation

وہاں گوتم نامی ایک برہمن تھا، گویا خود براہما کا دوسرا روپ؛ سچائی اور دھرم سے آراستہ، وانپرستھ آشرم کے طریق میں مشغول رہتا تھا۔

Word by Word

• gautamaḥ: Gautama
• gautamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Masculine nominative singular

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a brāhmaṇa
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Visheshya (Appositive/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Masculine nominative singular (apposition)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपातः; Particle

• āsīt: was
• āsīt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Imperfect, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada

• sākṣāt: directly, in person
• sākṣāt: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रत्यक्षार्थक; Adverb (directly/in person)

• brahma: Brahmā / the Absolute (here: Brahmā)
• brahma: Upamāna (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Neuter nominative singular

• iva: like
• iva: Upamā (Simile marker/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक-अव्यय; Comparative particle

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः; Conjunction

• aparaḥ: another (one)
• aparaḥ: Pratijñā-predicative (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Masculine nominative singular (predicate adjective)

• satya-dharma-samāyuktaḥ: endowed with truth and righteousness
• satya-dharma-samāyuktaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + samāyukta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (सत्यधर्मेण समायुक्तः); भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Past passive participle used adjectivally, Masculine nominative singular

• vānaprastha-āśrame: in the vānaprastha āśrama (forest-dweller stage)
• vānaprastha-āśrame: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vānaprastha (प्रातिपदिक) + āśrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (वानप्रस्थस्य आश्रमः); पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; Masculine locative singular

• rataḥ: engaged, devoted
• rataḥ: Pratijñā-predicative (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ram (धातु) + rata (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Past participle used adjectivally, Masculine nominative singular

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (continuing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cāhalyeśvara (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahīpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gautama ṛṣi in a forest hermitage: sacred fire, deer, kusa grass, water pot; his demeanor radiates brahma-tejas; symbols of satya-dharma (staff, rosary, scriptures).

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Brahmā
• Vānaprastha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of a tīrtha is framed through exemplars of dharma—truth, righteousness, and disciplined āśrama life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly Cāhalyeśvara’s setting; this verse establishes the holy persons connected to that place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes Gautama’s character and āśrama commitment.