Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ऐरावतो महानागस्तथैवोच्चैःश्रवा हयः । एवमादीनि रत्नानि अनेकानि बहून्यपि । नीतानि सहसा दैत्यैर्लोभादसाधुवृत्तिभिः

Transliteration

airāvato mahānāgastathaivoccaiḥśravā hayaḥ | evamādīni ratnāni anekāni bahūnyapi | nītāni sahasā daityairlobhādasādhuvṛttibhiḥ

Translation

وأُخِذَ إيرافاتا، الفيلُ العظيم، وكذلك أُتْشايِهشْرَفا، الجوادُ السماوي—ومعها جواهرُ وكنوزٌ كثيرة—اختطافًا على حينِ غِرّةٍ على يدِ الدانافا ذوي السلوكِ غيرِ القويم، مدفوعين بالطمع.

Word by Word

• airāvataḥ: Airāvata (Indra's elephant)
• airāvataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: airāvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mahā-nāgaḥ: the great elephant
• mahā-nāgaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-nāga (प्रातिपदिक; महा + नाग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; apposition to airāvataḥ

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/तुल्यार्थ: 'likewise')

• eva: indeed
• eva: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चय/अवधारण: 'indeed/just')

• uccaiḥśravāḥ: Uccaiḥśravas (divine horse)
• uccaiḥśravāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uccaiḥśravas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• hayaḥ: horse
• hayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; apposition to uccaiḥśravāḥ

• evam-ādīni: such and other (like these)
• evam-ādīni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: evam-ādi (प्रातिपदिक; एवम् + आदि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (ratnāni)

• ratnāni: gems, treasures
• ratnāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• anekāni: many, numerous
• anekāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aneka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (ratnāni)

• bahūni: many, abundant
• bahūni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (ratnāni)

• api: also
• api: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयार्थ: 'also/even')

• nītāni: carried off
• nītāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √nī (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (ratnāni)

• sahasā: suddenly, forcibly
• sahasā: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण: 'suddenly/forcibly')

• daityaiḥ: by the Daityas
• daityaiḥ: Karana/Agent (Instrumental agent/करण-कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• lobhāt: from greed, out of greed
• lobhāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lobha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

• asādhu-vṛttibhiḥ: by those of wicked conduct
• asādhu-vṛttibhiḥ: Karana/Agent (Instrumental agent/करण-कर्तृ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: asādhu-vṛtti (प्रातिपदिक; असाधु + वृत्ति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (daityaiḥ)

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition in Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A procession of daityas dragging celestial beings: Airāvata resisting with raised trunk, Uccaiḥśravā rearing; heaps of jewels and divine objects seized in haste, faces marked by greed.

Characters & Entities

• Airāvata
• Uccaiḥśravā
• Daityas/Daityas (Dānavas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greed (lobha) drives beings toward adharma, leading to forcible seizure and inevitable suffering and conflict.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is narrative setup within Kedārakhaṇḍa; it does not directly glorify a specific tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it describes the theft of divine treasures.