Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

गतं न पश्यत्यात्मानं प्रजासंतापनेन च । गृहीत्वा शक्रभार्यां स गतो वै दानवोत्तमः

Transliteration

gataṃ na paśyatyātmānaṃ prajāsaṃtāpanena ca | gṛhītvā śakrabhāryāṃ sa gato vai dānavottamaḥ

Translation

Geblendet von der Qual, die er dem Volk bereitete, sah er seinen eigenen Sturz nicht. Nachdem er Śakras Gemahlin geraubt hatte, zog jener Vornehmste der Dānavas wahrlich davon.

Word by Word

• गतम्: (what has) gone/occurred
• गतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (PPP); नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्; Accusative singular (neuter) (used adverbially: ‘gone/what has happened’)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्ययम् (negation)

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); प्रथमपुरुषः एकवचनम्; Parasmaipada

• आत्मानम्: himself
• आत्मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्; Accusative singular (masc.)

• प्रजासंतापनेन: by the tormenting of the subjects
• प्रजासंतापनेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा + संतापन (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम्; Instrumental singular (masc.)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• गृहीत्वा: having taken
• गृहीत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to verb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययम् (gerund); having seized/taken

• शक्रभार्याम्: Indra's wife
• शक्रभार्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र + भार्या (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्; Accusative singular (fem.)

• स: he
• स: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; Nominative singular (masc.)

• गतः: gone/departed
• गतः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (PPP); पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; Nominative singular (masc.)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle: indeed/emphasis)

• दानवोत्तमः: the best of the Dānavas
• दानवोत्तमः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; Nominative singular (masc.)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (narrating)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: pārthiva-sattama (addressed king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Dānava, intoxicated with power, carries off Śakra’s wife; the scene is charged with moral tension—Indrāṇī distressed, devas aghast, the abductor striding away under a darkened sky.

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Śacī
• Dānava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Oppressing others blinds one to imminent ruin; adharma carries its own consequences (karma) even when power seems secure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No explicit tīrtha is praised in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.