Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

असंभाव्यं न वक्तव्यं मनसापि न चिन्तयेत् । ईदृशीं नैव बुध्यामि आपदं च विभो तव

Transliteration

asaṃbhāvyaṃ na vaktavyaṃ manasāpi na cintayet | īdṛśīṃ naiva budhyāmi āpadaṃ ca vibho tava

Translation

«لا ينبغي أن يُنطق بالمستحيل، ولا أن يُتَصوَّر في القلب. يا أيها الربّ الجليل، لا أستطيع أن أتخيّل بلاءً كهذا يقع عليك.»

Word by Word

• असंभाव्यम्: impossible, inconceivable
• असंभाव्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + सम्भाव्य (सम्भू धातु से; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्तव्यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (impossible/unthinkable)

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• वक्तव्यम्: to be said
• वक्तव्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्तव्यत्-प्रत्यय (gerundive: 'to be spoken')

• मनसा: by the mind
• मनसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (also/even)

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• चिन्तयेत्: should think
• चिन्तयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्त् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ईदृशीम्: such (of this kind)
• ईदृशीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ईदृश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• बुध्यामि: I understand/know
• बुध्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: बुध् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• आपदम्: calamity
• आपदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आपद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• विभो: O Lord
• विभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (2nd person pronoun)

Speaker

Nārada (continuing his reply)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada, hands raised in respectful protest, declares that one should not even think of an impossible calamity befalling the Lord; the deity listens with composed, transcendent calm.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Vibhu (addressed Lord; contextually Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion views the Supreme as beyond harm; faith resists imagining defeat or disgrace for the Divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a devotional-philosophical assertion within dialogue.