Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

त्वं जितः कार्तवीर्येण रैणुकेयेन सोऽपि च । स रामो रामभद्रेण तस्य संख्ये कथं जयः

Transliteration

tvaṃ jitaḥ kārtavīryeṇa raiṇukeyena so'pi ca | sa rāmo rāmabhadreṇa tasya saṃkhye kathaṃ jayaḥ

Translation

لقد هُزِمتَ على يد كارتافيرْيا، وهو أيضًا هُزِمَ على يد راما جاماداغنيا ابن رينوكا. وذلك الراما قد غُلِبَ برامابهادرا؛ فكيف تُضمَن له الغَلَبة في ساحة القتال؟

Word by Word

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, उत्तमपुरुषार्थे (2nd person), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• जितः: defeated
• जितः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे कर्तरि-सम्बन्धः (you are defeated)

• कार्तवीर्येण: by Kārtavīrya
• कार्तवीर्येण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्तवीर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• रैणुकेयेन: by Rāiṇukeya (Paraśurāma)
• रैणुकेयेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रैणुकेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थे (also/even)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सः: that (he)
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रामः: Rāma
• रामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रामभद्रेण: by Rāmabhadra
• रामभद्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रामभद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (रामः च भद्रः च → रामभद्रः)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• संख्ये: in battle
• संख्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; अर्थे ‘युद्धे/समरे’

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• जयः: victory
• जयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (speaker not explicit in this verse; appears as argumentative speech within the episode)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) region context

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rāvaṇa (as interlocutor within the narrative frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A courtly debate scene: a challenger cites a chain of legendary defeats—Kārtavīrya, Paraśurāma, and Rāma—using it as a rhetorical spear to puncture certainty of victory.

Characters & Entities

• Kārtavīrya Arjuna
• Paraśurāma (Raiṇukeya)
• Rāmabhadra
• Rāma (as referenced in chain of defeats)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly power is unstable; pride in invincibility is misplaced because even great heroes face reversal under time and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the verse is part of an epic-historical reflection embedded in Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a rhetorical argument rather than a ritual statement.