Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

विधवां तां सुतां दृष्ट्वा राजा शोकसमन्वितः । उवाच वचनं तत्र स्वभार्यां दुःखपीडिताम्

Transliteration

vidhavāṃ tāṃ sutāṃ dṛṣṭvā rājā śokasamanvitaḥ | uvāca vacanaṃ tatra svabhāryāṃ duḥkhapīḍitām

Translation

Als der König seine Tochter als Witwe sah, von Kummer überwältigt, sprach er dort zu seiner eigenen Gemahlin, die vom Schmerz niedergebeugt war.

Word by Word

• विधवाम्: widowed
• विधवाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विधवा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (object-qualifier)

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सुताम्: daughter
• सुताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (दृशिर्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having seen)

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शोक: grief
• शोक: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद

• समन्वितः: filled with
• समन्वितः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समन्वित (कृदन्त; सम् + अनु + √इ (इण्) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (वचँ)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वचनम्: words/speech
• वचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• स्व: his own
• स्व: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद; स्वकीयवाचक (own)

• भार्याम्: wife
• भार्याम्: Sampradāna/Karma (Recipient as object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्वभार्याम् इति समासार्थे

• दुःख: sorrow
• दुःख: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद

• पीडिताम्: afflicted
• पीडिताम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीडित (कृदन्त; √पीड् (पीडँ) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (to wife)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator in Revā Khaṇḍa context; exact speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king beholds his daughter as a widow; the queen is crushed by sorrow. The king begins to speak—an intimate interior scene of grief and impending counsel.

Characters & Entities

• King
• Bhāryā (Queen)
• Widowed daughter (Bhānumatī in subsequent verses)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is tested in sorrow; rulers and households must respond to crisis with discernment, protection, and righteous counsel.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it forms part of the Revā Khaṇḍa’s broader sacred-geography narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse sets the emotional and ethical context for ensuing decisions.