Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

करुणाक्षरवादिन्यो निराधारा गताः शिवम् । यदि वैरं सुरारेश्च पुरुषोपरिपावक

Transliteration

karuṇākṣaravādinyo nirādhārā gatāḥ śivam | yadi vairaṃ surāreśca puruṣoparipāvaka

Translation

وناطقاتٍ بكلمات الرحمة، وقد صرن بلا سند ولا ملجأ، التمسن حماية شيفا. «إن كانت عداوةٌ مع عدوّ الآلهة، يا نارَ من تمضي بأمر الرجل…»

Word by Word

• karuṇākṣara-vādinyaḥ: women speaking pitiful words
• karuṇākṣara-vādinyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karuṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣara (प्रातिपदिक) + vādinī (प्रातिपदिक; √vad (धातु) ‘to speak’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः (बहुपद-तत्पुरुष): ‘speaking compassionate words/syllables’

• nirādhārāḥ: unsupported, helpless
• nirādhārāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirādhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (to karuṇākṣaravādinyaḥ): ‘without support’

• gatāḥ: have gone
• gatāḥ: Kriyā (Predicative action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त): ‘gone/approached’ (used predicatively)

• śivam: to Śiva
• śivam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case/Accusative), एकवचन; गत्यर्थक-क्रियायाः कर्म (object of ‘gatāḥ’)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्धबोधक/conditional particle): ‘if’

• vairaṃ: enmity
• vairaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• surāreḥ: of the enemy of the gods
• surāreḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura + ari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘enemy of the gods’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/ conjunction): ‘and’

• puruṣa-upari-pāvaka: O fire set upon men
• puruṣa-upari-pāvaka: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + upari (अव्यय) + pāvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; समासः (उपपद-तत्पुरुष): ‘fire (pāvaka) above/over a man’—vocative address

Speaker

Dānava women (collective lament; addressing Fire and invoking Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śiva-āśraya in Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Women, smoke-stained and trembling, hands folded in añjali, turning toward a Śiva symbol—liṅga or trident—while flames rage behind; their speech is tender yet urgent, invoking protection.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pāvaka (Fire)
• Sura-ari (enemy of the gods)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is remembered as a final refuge for the helpless, and compassion is upheld even amid conflict.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; the Revā Khaṇḍa setting provides the sacred backdrop.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, śaraṇāgati (seeking refuge) and prayerful invocation of Śiva; no formal vrata/dāna is specified.