Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 103

Devanagari script

चिंतयंती ममेदं चेद्रूपं द्रक्ष्यंति कानने । ते ब्राह्मणीनामनृतं दोषं वक्ष्यंति पावकात्

Transliteration

ciṃtayaṃtī mamedaṃ cedrūpaṃ drakṣyaṃti kānane | te brāhmaṇīnāmanṛtaṃ doṣaṃ vakṣyaṃti pāvakāt

Translation

Sie dachte: „Wenn sie diese meine Gestalt im Wald erblicken, werden sie verkünden, dass Pāvaka, der Feuergott, durch die Frauen der Brāhmaṇas die Schuld der Unwahrheit auf sich geladen hat.“

Word by Word

• चिन्तयन्ती: thinking
• चिन्तयन्ती: Karta (Agent as participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्तय् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (Present Active Participle), स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘thinking’

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshana (Demonstrative/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; अत्र ‘इदं रूपम्’ इति (this)

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle ‘if’)

• रूपम्: form
• रूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• द्रक्ष्यन्ति: will see
• द्रक्ष्यन्ति: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• कानने: in the grove/forest
• कानने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कानन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ब्राह्मणीनाम्: of the Brahmin women
• ब्राह्मणीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• अनृतम्: falsehood, untruth
• अनृतम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘doṣam’ इत्यस्य विशेषण/सम्बद्ध-वस्तु

• दोषम्: fault, blame
• दोषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• वक्ष्यन्ति: will say/speak
• वक्ष्यन्ति: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• पावकात्: from/against (because of) Fire (Agni)
• पावकात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पावक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Svāhā, anxious, pauses among trees, imagining the brāhmaṇa-wives seeing her true form; Agni’s flame in the distance becomes a ‘witness’ to truth and falsehood.

Characters & Entities

• Pāvaka (Agni)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reputation and moral accountability matter in dharma; actions that appear improper can generate doṣa (blame) and social-spiritual consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is identified; the verse is set in a forest (kānana) within the narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse focuses on ethical concern (doṣa) rather than rite.