Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

सापश्यत्तत्र देवेशं गोपवेषधरं हरिम् । तं दृष्ट्वा मोहमापन्ना कामेन कलुषीकृता

Transliteration

sāpaśyattatra deveśaṃ gopaveṣadharaṃ harim | taṃ dṛṣṭvā mohamāpannā kāmena kaluṣīkṛtā

Translation

Dort erblickte sie den Herrn der Götter—Hari—im Gewand eines Kuhhirten. Als sie ihn sah, verfiel sie in Verwirrung; ihr Geist, von Liebessehnsucht erregt, wurde getrübt.

Word by Word

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• अपश्यत्: saw
• अपश्यत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• देवेशम्: lord of the gods
• देवेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानाम् ईशः)

• गोपवेषधरम्: wearing a cowherd’s guise
• गोपवेषधरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोप + वेष + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (गोपस्य वेषः तं धरति)

• हरिम्: Hari (Vishnu)
• हरिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषण (gerund/absolutive), ‘having seen’

• मोहम्: delusion
• मोहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आपन्ना: having fallen into / having reached
• आपन्ना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आपद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘प्राप्ता/गतवती’

• कामेन: by desire (lust)
• कामेन: Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• कलुषीकृता: made impure / tainted
• कलुषीकृता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कलुषी + कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP) ‘कलुषीकृत’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-mārga

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the bank of Revā, a radiant Hari appears in cowherd attire; the maiden’s gaze fixes on him, her posture softening into bewildered longing as the landscape glows with tīrtha-auspiciousness.

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Kṛṣṇa)
• Rukmiṇī
• Deveśa
• Gopa-veṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Divine may appear in simple forms; recognition awakens overpowering devotion that transforms the heart.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode is set near the Ambikā worship locale at Kuṇḍina; it functions as a sacred narrative landmark within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s pilgrimage-centered worldview.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse emphasizes darśana—seeing the Lord—as spiritually catalytic.