Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

विनतोवाच । पश्यसे ननु नेत्रैश्च कृष्णं श्वेतं न पश्यसि । असत्यभाषणाद्भद्रे यमलोकं गमिष्यसि

Transliteration

vinatovāca | paśyase nanu netraiśca kṛṣṇaṃ śvetaṃ na paśyasi | asatyabhāṣaṇādbhadre yamalokaṃ gamiṣyasi

Translation

Vinatā sprach: „Du siehst es doch mit eigenen Augen: Siehst du nicht das Weiße und siehst stattdessen Schwarz? O Liebe, durch falsches Reden wirst du in Yamas Reich gelangen.“

Word by Word

• विनता: Vinatā
• विनता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विनता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• पश्यसे: you see
• पश्यसे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• ननु: indeed / surely
• ननु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ननु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), प्रश्न/निश्चयार्थ

• नेत्रैः: with (your) eyes
• नेत्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

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

• कृष्णम्: black
• कृष्णम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• श्वेतम्: white
• श्वेतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्वेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• पश्यसि: you see
• पश्यसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• असत्यभाषणात्: from speaking untruth
• असत्यभाषणात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असत्यभाषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—असत्य + भाषण (तत्पुरुष)

• भद्रे: O auspicious one
• भद्रे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• यमलोकम्: Yama's world
• यमलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—यम + लोक (तत्पुरुष)

• गमिष्यसि: you will go
• गमिष्यसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Vinatā

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kadrū

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vinatā rebukes Kadrū: the horse is plainly white; false speech leads to Yama’s realm—an admonition with a shadow of afterlife judgment.

Characters & Entities

• Vinatā
• Kadrū (implied interlocutor)
• Yama
• Yamaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Truthfulness (satya) is a pillar of dharma; deliberate false speech brings karmic consequence, symbolized here by Yama’s realm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse focuses on moral causality (karma) tied to speech.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an ethical admonition against asatya (falsehood).