Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्निव सतस्तस्य राघवस्य महात्मनः । रावणेन हृता भार्या मारीचच्छद्मना द्विजाः

Transliteration

tasminniva satastasya rāghavasya mahātmanaḥ | rāvaṇena hṛtā bhāryā mārīcacchadmanā dvijāḥ

Translation

Während der großherzige Rāghava dort verweilte, wurde seine Gemahlin von Rāvaṇa entführt — durch die Täuschung, die er mit Mārīca ersann, o Zweimalgeborene.

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in that (time/place)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; locative singular

• इव: as it were
• इव: Sambandha (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• सतः: while (he) was staying/being
• सतः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत् (कृदन्त; √अस् (धातु) → सत्)
• Form: शतृ/वर्तमान कृदन्त 'सत्' (being); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular; agrees with 'तस्य' (Rāma)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular

• राघवस्य: of Rāghava (Rāma)
• राघवस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled
• महात्मनः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय: 'महान् आत्मा यस्य सः'; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular; qualifies 'राघवस्य'

• रावणेन: by Rāvaṇa
• रावणेन: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; instrumental singular

• हृता: was abducted
• हृता: Kriya (Passive predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √हृ (धातु) → हृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; agrees with 'भार्या'

• भार्या: wife
• भार्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; nominative singular

• मारीचच्छद्मना: by means of Mārīca’s disguise
• मारीचच्छद्मना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मारीच + छद्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'मारीचस्य छद्मना' (in the guise of Mārīca); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (छद्मन्), तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; instrumental singular

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), बहुवचन; vocative plural

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcavaṭī (Sītā-haraṇa-smṛti)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: twice-born sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The moment of deception: Mārīca as the golden deer drawing attention away, and Rāvaṇa abducting Sītā; the forest tense, with Lakṣmaṇa’s protective urgency implied; a narrative turning point toward the epic journey to the sea.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma (Rāghava)
• Sītā
• Rāvaṇa
• Mārīca

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma advances through deception, yet it becomes the occasion for dharma’s decisive restoration through Rāma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly Setu, since Sītā’s abduction initiates the chain of events culminating in the bridge and its tīrtha-mahātmyā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative event within the Setu-mahātmyā framework.