Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मणो मानसः पुत्रो मुख्यो ह्यग्निरजायत । मुख्यो वह्निरितिप्रोक्त ऋषिः परमधार्मिकः

Transliteration

brahmaṇo mānasaḥ putro mukhyo hyagnirajāyata | mukhyo vahniritiprokta ṛṣiḥ paramadhārmikaḥ

Translation

برہما سے ایک ذہنی فرزند پیدا ہوا—اگنی، جو ‘مُکھیا’ کے نام سے معروف تھا۔ ‘مُکھیا وَہنی’ کہلانے والا یہ رِشی نہایت ہی راست باز اور پرم دھارمک تھا۔

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā/Brahman
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• मानसः: mental; mind-born
• मानसः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; विशेषण

• पुत्रः: son
• पुत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• मुख्यः: chief, principal
• मुख्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; विशेषण

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय — emphatic/causal particle

• अग्निः: Agni (fire-god)
• अग्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• अजायत: was born, arose
• अजायत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/लङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — 3rd sg; आत्मनेपद

• मुख्यः: chief
• मुख्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; विशेषण

• वह्निः: Vahni (fire)
• वह्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle), अव्यय

• प्रोक्तः: called, said
• प्रोक्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘called/said’

• ऋषिः: sage
• ऋषिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• परमधार्मिकः: supremely righteous
• परमधार्मिकः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम + धार्मिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular; विशेषण

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājā) addressed as ‘mahārāja’ in nearby verses

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā in serene creation-mood emanates a radiant, personified Agni (Mukhya Vahni), depicted as a sage-like fire-deity with austere brilliance.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Agni
• Mukhya (Vahni)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-māhātmyas often root their sanctity in primordial lineages, linking sacred places to cosmic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse begins a genealogical preface connected to Viśalyā’s origin-story rather than naming the site’s geography directly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is on lineage and the dhārmic character of Mukhya Vahni.