Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

पुराणि तान्यभेद्यानि ददौ कामगमानि वै । आयसं राजतं चैव सौवर्णं च तथापरम्

Transliteration

purāṇi tānyabhedyāni dadau kāmagamāni vai | āyasaṃ rājataṃ caiva sauvarṇaṃ ca tathāparam

Translation

Er verlieh ihm jene Städte—unzerbrechlich und nach Belieben beweglich: eine aus Eisen, eine aus Silber und eine weitere aus Gold.

Word by Word

• पुराणि: cities
• पुराणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तानि: those
• तानि: Viśeṣaṇa (Determiner/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अभेद्यानि: unbreakable / impregnable
• अभेद्यानि: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (निषेध) + भेद्य (कृदन्त; भिद् धातु-योग्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ददौ: gave
• ददौ: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• कामगमानि: moving as desired / at will
• कामगमानि: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक) + गामिन् (कृदन्त; गम् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• आयसम्: made of iron
• आयसम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आयस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• राजतम्: made of silver
• राजतम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राजत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• एव: indeed / just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (restrictive/emphatic particle)

• सौवर्णम्: made of gold
• सौवर्णम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारार्थक अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• अपरम्: another / the other
• अपरम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Devas (speaking to Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā grants three gleaming, impregnable, wish-moving cities: a dark iron fortress, a moonlike silver citadel, and a sunlike golden palace—hovering as if engineered by divine will.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Bāṇa
• Tripura (three cities)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When boons amplify ego, even divine gifts become instruments of oppression—hence the need for righteous governance of power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; Tripura is a mythic mobile fortress complex, not a pilgrimage tirtha in this passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse details the nature of the boon (abhedya, kāmagāmi cities).