Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

अष्टम्यां रावणो मायामैथिलीं हतवान्कुधीः । शोकावेगात्तदा रामश्चक्रे सैन्यावधारणम्

Transliteration

aṣṭamyāṃ rāvaṇo māyāmaithilīṃ hatavānkudhīḥ | śokāvegāttadā rāmaścakre sainyāvadhāraṇam

Translation

Am achten Tithi erschlug der übelgesinnte Rāvaṇa die Māyā‑Sītā, die trügerische Maithilī. Da ordnete Rāma, vom Ansturm der Trauer getrieben, das Heer und festigte es zum Handeln.

Word by Word

• अष्टम्याम्: on the eighth (lunar day)
• अष्टम्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular); तिथि-नाम

• रावणः: Rāvaṇa
• रावणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• माया: illusory
• माया: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (illusory)

• मैथिलीम्: Maithilī (Sītā)
• मैथिलीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैथिली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• हतवान्: killed/struck down
• हतवान्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु) + क्तवतु (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past active participle used as finite), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कुधीः: the evil-minded one
• कुधीः: Karta (Apposition to subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुधी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); निन्दार्थक उपाधि

• शोकावेगात्: from/owing to the surge of grief
• शोकावेगात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोक (प्रातिपदिक) + वेग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular); हेतौ पञ्चमी

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• रामः: Rāma
• रामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• चक्रे: made/undertook
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• सैन्यावधारणम्: the arrangement/mustering of the army
• सैन्यावधारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अवधारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced; not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāvaṇa strikes down the illusory Sītā on aṣṭamī; Rāma, overwhelmed by grief, then steadies the army—tears turning into command.

Characters & Entities

• Rāvaṇa
• Sītā (Maithilī)
• Māyā-Sītā
• Rāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Grief is natural, yet dharma demands composure: Rāma channels sorrow into disciplined protection of the righteous cause.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No pilgrimage site is specified; the verse is an ethical-narrative moment within the war chronology.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse focuses on the moral psychology of leadership and the dating of events by tithi.