Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

वृद्धानां सेवनेनाथ देवताराधनेन वा । इति चिन्तापरां कन्यां सती ज्ञात्वा युधिष्ठिर

Transliteration

vṛddhānāṃ sevanenātha devatārādhanena vā | iti cintāparāṃ kanyāṃ satī jñātvā yudhiṣṭhira

Translation

«Oder durch den Dienst an den Alten, oder durch die Verehrung der Gottheiten?» So, o Yudhiṣṭhira, erkannte die tugendhafte Satī, da sie das Mädchen in solcher sorgenvollen Betrachtung versunken sah, dessen Zustand.

Word by Word

• वृद्धानाम्: of the elders
• वृद्धानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• सेवनेन: by service
• सेवनेन: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तर/प्रसङ्गार्थक अव्यय (then/now)

• देवताराधनेन: by worship of the deity/deities
• देवताराधनेन: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता + आराधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवतायाः आराधनम्)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (or)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक अव्यय (quotative)

• चिन्तापराम्: absorbed in thought
• चिन्तापराम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चिन्ता + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (चिन्तायां परा/चिन्तापरा)

• कन्याम्: the maiden
• कन्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• सती: being (a virtuous woman)
• सती: Karta (Agent of gerund/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle) ‘सत्’, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषण (who was/being)

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), √ज्ञा; ‘having known/understood’

• युधिष्ठिर: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A maiden, troubled in thought, considers serving elders and worshipping deities; a virtuous figure (Satī) perceives her inner state, with Yudhiṣṭhira addressed as listener.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Satī
• Lakṣmī
• Devatā
• Elders

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma honors both devotion (deity-worship) and social righteousness (serving elders) as spiritually potent paths.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sevā of elders and ārādhana (worship/propitiation) of deities are named as practices.