Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

मुखे ह्यग्निः स्थितो देवो दन्तेषु च भुजङ्गमाः । धाता विधाता ह्योष्ठौ च जिह्वायां तु सरस्वती

Transliteration

mukhe hyagniḥ sthito devo danteṣu ca bhujaṅgamāḥ | dhātā vidhātā hyoṣṭhau ca jihvāyāṃ tu sarasvatī

Translation

اُس کے منہ میں دیوتا اگنی بستا ہے؛ اُس کے دانتوں میں بھجنگم (سانپ) ہیں۔ اُس کے ہونٹوں پر دھاتا اور ودھاتا ہیں، اور اُس کی زبان پر سرسوتی دیوی جلوہ گر ہے۔

Word by Word

• मुखे: in the mouth
• मुखे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative, Singular

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; हेत्वर्थ/अवधारण) — particle 'indeed/for'

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

• स्थितः: is situated
• स्थितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; अग्नेः अप्पोजिशन (apposition)

• दन्तेषु: in the teeth
• दन्तेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन — Masculine, Locative, Plural

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) — conjunction

• भुजङ्गमाः: serpents
• भुजङ्गमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुजङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• धाता: Dhātā (the creator)
• धाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• विधाता: Vidhātā (the ordainer)
• विधाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle 'indeed'

• ओष्ठौ: on the lips (two lips)
• ओष्ठौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), द्विवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) — conjunction

• जिह्वायाम्: on the tongue
• जिह्वायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जिह्वा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Feminine, Locative, Singular

• तु: and (indeed)
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle 'but/indeed'

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapilā-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic portrait of Kapilā: her open mouth glows with Agni; teeth shimmer as coiled nāgas; lips bear twin creator-figures (Dhātā/Vidhātā); tongue radiates Sarasvatī with vīṇā—an esoteric iconographic diagram.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Bhujaṅgas (serpents)
• Dhātā
• Vidhātā
• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine pervades form: the sacred being/place is described as a living altar where multiple deities are immanent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kapilā-tīrtha’s presiding sanctity (Kapilā) is glorified through a deity-infused description that intensifies the tīrtha’s holiness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse functions as stuti (praise) and theological grounding for tīrtha reverence.