Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

पश्यंति दिविजाः सर्वे विमानस्थाः सकौतुकाः । अथेयमपि चांडाली वसनाशनतृष्णया

Transliteration

paśyaṃti divijāḥ sarve vimānasthāḥ sakautukāḥ | atheyamapi cāṃḍālī vasanāśanatṛṣṇayā

Translation

Alle Götter, in ihren Vimānas sitzend, schauten voller Neugier zu. Dann machte sich auch diese Caṇḍālī-Frau, getrieben vom Verlangen nach Kleidung und Speise, (auf den Weg).

Word by Word

• पश्यन्ति: they see
• पश्यन्ति: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• दिविजाः: the gods (divine-born)
• दिविजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वि + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (दिवि/देवेभ्यः जाताः)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• विमानस्थाः: standing in aerial cars; in vimānas
• विमानस्थाः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमान + स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (विमाने स्थाः)

• सकौतुकाः: curious; with interest
• सकौतुकाः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + कौतुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण; सह-तत्पुरुष (कौतुकं सह)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (then)

• इयम्: this (woman)
• इयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (also/even)

• चाण्डाली: a Caṇḍāla woman
• चाण्डाली: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चाण्डाली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• वसनाशनतृष्णया: due to craving for clothing and food
• वसनाशनतृष्णया: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसन + अशन + तृष्णा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (वसनं च अशनं च) + तृष्णा (तत्पुरुष: वसनाशनयोः तृष्णा)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gokarṇa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Above, devas in vimānas look down with wonder; below, a poor Caṇḍālī woman, thin and weary, turns toward the pilgrimage stream, driven by hunger and need for clothing.

Characters & Entities

• Divijāḥ (devas)
• Vimāna
• Caṇḍālī
• Gokarṇa (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the socially marginalized are drawn into sacred history; divine eyes witness how need and karma lead beings toward a tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gokarṇa, in the ongoing account of movement toward Śiva’s sacred precinct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse sets up a compassion-and-pilgrimage episode.