Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

त्वां न जानाति देवेशं चतुर्बाहुं जनार्दनम् । दर्शयस्व स्वकं रूपं दयां कृत्वा ममोपरि

Transliteration

tvāṃ na jānāti deveśaṃ caturbāhuṃ janārdanam | darśayasva svakaṃ rūpaṃ dayāṃ kṛtvā mamopari

Translation

Er erkennt Dich nicht als den Herrn der Götter — Janārdana, den Vierarmigen. Aus Erbarmen mit mir offenbare Deine eigene wahre Gestalt.

Word by Word

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negative particle)

• जानाति: knows
• जानाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• चतुर्बाहुम्: four-armed
• चतुर्बाहुम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् + बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (चत्वारः बाहवः यस्य)

• जनार्दनम्: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• जनार्दनम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• दर्शयस्व: show (to me)
• दर्शयस्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular); णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: ‘cause to see/show’)

• स्वकम्: your own
• स्वकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• रूपम्: form
• रूपम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• दयाम्: compassion
• दयाम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having shown (having done)
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषण (absolutive/gerund): ‘having done/made’

• मम: of me / to me
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• उपरि: upon / towards
• उपरि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उपरि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उपसर्गार्थक-निपात/पूर्वसर्गसदृश; अधिकरणार्थे (locative sense: ‘upon/over’)

Speaker

Rukmiṇī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-sphere (contextual)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (generic addressee; often Janamejaya/assembly in purāṇic style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rukmiṇī, hands folded, implores four-armed Janārdana to reveal His true form; the moment is intimate, devotional, and charged with compassion.

Characters & Entities

• Janārdana (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• Rukmiṇī
• Rukma (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True knowledge dawns through divine revelation; bhakti seeks darśana not for display, but for transforming ignorance into recognition of the Lord.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is on darśana (revelation of the deity).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the act is devotional prayer/request for darśana.