Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

न विद्मः कुत्र वर्तामो भवान्नाथोपलक्ष्यते । सर्वं जगदिऐकस्थं पिण्डितं लक्षयामहे

Transliteration

na vidmaḥ kutra vartāmo bhavānnāthopalakṣyate | sarvaṃ jagadiaikasthaṃ piṇḍitaṃ lakṣayāmahe

Translation

ہم نہیں جانتے کہ ہم کہاں قائم ہیں؛ اے ناتھ، اے محافظ، بس آپ ہی نمایاں ہیں۔ ہم سارے جگت کو ایک ہی جگہ جمع، گویا ایک ہی پِنڈ کی طرح سمیٹا ہوا، دیکھتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• vidmaḥ: we know
• vidmaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• kutra: where
• kutra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kutra (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb of place)

• vartāmaḥ: we are/abide
• vartāmaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; (वर्तते इति)

• bhavān: you (honored)
• bhavān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; आदरार्थ-प्रयोग (honorific ‘you’)

• nātha: O Lord
• nātha: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन

• upalakṣyate: is perceived/recognized
• upalakṣyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-लक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• jagat: of the world
• jagat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• aikastham: situated in one place
• aikastham: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; एकस्मिन् स्थम् इति (locative-tatpurusha)

• piṇḍitam: compacted/condensed
• piṇḍitam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पिण्डित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; पिण्ड्/पिण्डय् धातोः)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• lakṣayāmahe: we perceive/observe
• lakṣayāmahe: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Apsarās, collectively

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha sphere (general Revākhaṇḍa setting)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Hari/Janārdana

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Apsarās (or devotees) stand on a luminous riverbank; before them the Lord’s presence makes the whole universe appear ‘compacted’—stars, mountains, oceans, beings layered within a single radiant mass; the figures look upward in awe, hands folded.

Characters & Entities

• Nātha (the Lord)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All multiplicity can be seen as resting in the One; spiritual vision culminates in perceiving the universe within the Lord.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named site in this verse; it is part of the Revā-khaṇḍa narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.