Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

अथ दूरं गतौ क्वापि वने द्विजनृपात्मजौ । गन्धर्वकन्याः क्रीडंती शतशस्तावपश्यताम्

Transliteration

atha dūraṃ gatau kvāpi vane dvijanṛpātmajau | gandharvakanyāḥ krīḍaṃtī śataśastāvapaśyatām

Translation

Dann, weit fort in einen Ort im Wald gelangt, erblickten der Sohn des Brāhmaṇa und der Sohn des Fürsten dort Hunderte von Gandharva-Jungfrauen, die spielend umherschweiften.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (sequence/then)

• दूरम्: far
• दूरम्: Adhikarana (Locative sense as adverb/अधिकरण-भाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन प्रयुक्तम्; क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative)

• गतौ: having gone
• गतौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (masc nom dual)

• क्वापि: somewhere
• क्वापि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय) + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनिश्चितस्थानवाचक (indefinite locative adverb)

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (neut loc sg)

• द्विजनृपात्मजौ: the two brahmin princes (sons of a king)
• द्विजनृपात्मजौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नृपस्य आत्मजः) + कर्मधारय/विशेषणसमास (द्विजः नृपात्मजः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (masc nom dual)

• गन्धर्वकन्याः: Gandharva maidens
• गन्धर्वकन्याः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गन्धर्वाणां कन्याः); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (fem nom pl)

• क्रीडन्ती: playing
• क्रीडन्ती: Karta (Agent of participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रीड् (धातु) → क्रीडन्ती (शतृ/वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (intended fem nom pl; poetic/orthographic variant for क्रीडन्त्यः)

• शतशः: in hundreds; many
• शतशः: Vishesana (Adverbial qualifier/विशेषण-भाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शतशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (distributive adverb)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (masc nom dual)

• अपश्यताम्: saw
• अपश्यताम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect); परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष? न—प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन (3rd person dual)

Speaker

Narrator (context not explicit in snippet; within Skanda Purāṇa narrative frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two youths—one brāhmaṇa’s son and one prince’s son—stand at the edge of a deep forest clearing, beholding hundreds of gandharva maidens playing and moving in graceful groups amid trees and flowering shrubs.

Characters & Entities

• Gandharva maidens
• brāhmaṇa’s son
• prince’s son

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It introduces a temptation-like encounter that sets the stage for teaching self-restraint and dharmic conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a narrative scene set in a forest.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is descriptive narration.