Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

विषमे वर्ततेऽद्यापि शकुन्तमृगजातिषु । तस्यास्थिशेषं राजेन्द्र तस्मिंस्तीर्थे भविष्यति

Transliteration

viṣame vartate'dyāpi śakuntamṛgajātiṣu | tasyāsthiśeṣaṃ rājendra tasmiṃstīrthe bhaviṣyati

Translation

وإلى اليوم ما يزال في حالٍ عسير، بين ولادات الطير والوحوش. غير أنّه، يا سيّد الملوك، ستوجد بقايا عظام جسده عند ذلك المَعبر المقدَّس.

Word by Word

• विषमे: in a difficult/uneven (state)
• विषमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; विशेषण (अधिकरणे)

• वर्तते: remains / exists
• वर्तते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृत् (वर्त्) धातु
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• अद्यापि: even today / still
• अद्यापि: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य + अपि (अव्यय-द्वय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'even today/still')

• शकुन्त-मृग-जातिषु: among the species of birds and deer
• शकुन्त-मृग-जातिषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकुन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + मृग (प्रातिपदिक) + जाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (शकुन्तानां मृगाणां च जातिषु / शकुन्तमृग-सम्बद्ध-जातिषु)

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अस्थि-शेषम्: the remaining bone(s) / bone-remnant
• अस्थि-शेषम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक) + शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अस्थ्नः शेषम्)

• राजेन्द्र: O lord of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तीर्थे: at the sacred place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू धातु
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Kanyā (the maiden)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hanūmanteśvara-tīrtha (Narmadā)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark contrast: shadowy silhouettes of birds and beasts in a wild landscape symbolize perilous rebirth, while a bright Narmadā ghat with priests searching/finding bone-remnants glows as hope.

Characters & Entities

• tīrtha
• Revā/Narmadā (implied by section context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions shape rebirth; yet tīrthas remain places where restoration and right rites can be undertaken for the departed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha connected with the Revā/Narmadā tradition is indicated, later described with identifiable landmarks in the same passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied: collecting remains for proper disposal or rites; explicit prescriptions appear in subsequent verses.