Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ददृशुः शूलमारूढं माण्डव्यमृषिपुंगवाः । प्रोचुर्नारायणं विप्रं किं कुर्मस्तव चेप्सितम्

Transliteration

dadṛśuḥ śūlamārūḍhaṃ māṇḍavyamṛṣipuṃgavāḥ | procurnārāyaṇaṃ vipraṃ kiṃ kurmastava cepsitam

Translation

Die erhabensten der Weisen sahen Māṇḍavya auf den Pfahl gehoben. Sie sprachen zu Nārāyaṇa, dem Brahmanen: „Was sollen wir tun—was ist dein Wunsch?“

Word by Word

• ददृशुः: they saw
• ददृशुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• शूलम्: a stake/spear
• शूलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आरूढम्: mounted/impaled upon
• आरूढम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-रुह् (धातु) → आरूढ (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘शूलम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• माण्डव्यम्: Māṇḍavya
• माण्डव्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माण्डव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (ऋषिनाम), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ऋषि-पुंगवाः: the foremost sages
• ऋषि-पुंगवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुंगव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ऋषीणां पुंगवाः = best among sages)

• प्रोचुः: they said
• प्रोचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-उच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• नारायणम्: Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• विप्रम्: the brāhmaṇa
• विप्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘नारायणम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण/सम्बोधनार्थ-प्रयोगः (appositive)

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक सर्वनाम

• कुर्मः: shall we do / do we do
• कुर्मः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

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

• ईप्सितम्: desired (thing)
• ईप्सितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईप्सित (प्रातिपदिक; √आप्/ईप्स्-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘इच्छितम्’ अर्थे (desired thing)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Māṇḍavya impaled on a stake (śūla), yet radiant with tapas; a circle of alarmed ṛṣis confronts a brāhmaṇa named Nārāyaṇa, asking what he wishes done.

Characters & Entities

• Māṇḍavya
• Nārāyaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True dharma responds to suffering with compassionate action and humble inquiry, seeking the will of the divine before intervening.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is explicitly praised in this verse; it functions as narrative within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it depicts intercession and consultation.