Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

कामं दृष्ट्वा क्षयं यातं तत्र देवाप्सरोगणाः । भीता यथागतं सर्वे जग्मुश्चैव दिशो दश

Transliteration

kāmaṃ dṛṣṭvā kṣayaṃ yātaṃ tatra devāpsarogaṇāḥ | bhītā yathāgataṃ sarve jagmuścaiva diśo daśa

Translation

Als sie sahen, dass Kāma dort der Vernichtung anheimgefallen war, zogen die Scharen der Götter und Apsarās—von Furcht ergriffen—so fort, wie sie gekommen waren, und zerstreuten sich in die zehn Himmelsrichtungen.

Word by Word

• कामम्: Kāma (the god of desire)
• कामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive) — ‘having seen’

• क्षयम्: destruction, decay
• क्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• यातम्: gone to, reached
• यातम्: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object complement/कर्मसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकालिक कृदन्त (Past participle) — ‘gone/attained’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb) — ‘there’

• देवाप्सरोगणाः: groups of gods and apsarases
• देवाप्सरोगणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + अप्सरस् + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural; द्वन्द्वसमास (देवाः च अप्सरसः च) + गणाः

• भीताः: afraid
• भीताः: Karta (Subject attribute/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भीत (भि (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• यथागतम्: as they had come, in the same manner
• यथागतम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + गत (गम् (धातु)+क्त)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास — ‘as (they) had come’; क्रियाविशेषणभाव

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जग्मुः: went
• जग्मुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — Perfect, 3rd person, Plural

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction) — ‘and’

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle) — ‘indeed/just’

• दिशः: directions
• दिशः: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक विशेषण; (दिशः इति) स्त्रीलिङ्ग-द्वितीया-बहुवचनार्थे अव्ययवत् प्रयोग — numeral ‘ten’ qualifying ‘directions’

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator), by context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-context (episode-setting)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A scorched Kāma lies destroyed; devas and apsarases recoil in fear and scatter toward the ten directions under a sky charged with Śiva’s fiery tejas.

Characters & Entities

• Kāma
• Devas
• Apsarases

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When divine law asserts itself, temptation collapses; fear arises in those aligned with disruption rather than dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader episode is linked to Gaṅgā-sāgara within the Revā Khaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the dispersal of the divine retinue after Kāma’s destruction.