Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

युधिष्ठिर उवाच । कथं स वञ्चितो राजा वायसाभ्यां कुतोऽथवा । पुरा येन प्रतिज्ञातं धीगर्भेण महात्मना

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kathaṃ sa vañcito rājā vāyasābhyāṃ kuto'thavā | purā yena pratijñātaṃ dhīgarbheṇa mahātmanā

Translation

যুধিষ্ঠির বললেন—সে রাজা কীভাবে ঐ দুই কাকের দ্বারা প্রতারিত হল? তারা কোথা থেকে এল? আর প্রাচীনকালে মহাত্মা ধীগর্ভ কীভাবে প্রতিজ্ঞা করেছিলেন?

Word by Word

• युधिष्ठिरः: Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

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

• वञ्चितः: deceived
• वञ्चितः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वञ्चित (कृदन्त; वञ्च् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वायसाभ्याम्: by two crows
• वायसाभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), द्विवचन

• कुतः: from where / why
• कुतः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb: from where/why)

• अथवा: or else
• अथवा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction: or)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• येन: by whom / by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (relative pronoun)

• प्रतिज्ञातम्: promised
• प्रतिज्ञातम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रतिज्ञात (कृदन्त; प्रति+ज्ञा धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘promised’

• धीगर्भेण: by Dhīgarbha
• धीगर्भेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धीगर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धी + गर्भ)

• महात्मना: by the great-souled (one)
• महात्मना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः कर्मधारय (महत् + आत्मन्)

Speaker

Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-context

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mārkaṇḍeya (addressed as viprendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal court scene: Yudhiṣṭhira, composed yet intensely curious, questions the sage about two mysterious crows and an ancient vow by Dhīgarbha; attendants and palm-leaf manuscripts suggest sacred history being unfolded.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Dhīgarbha
• Vāyasa (crows)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Respectful questioning (praśna) is presented as a dharmic method for uncovering sacred history and moral causality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa setting remains the wider sacred geography; the verse focuses on narrative causation rather than naming a site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a request for narrative explanation.