Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

गवाक्षाधिष्ठितोऽपश्यं वसंते मुनिकन्यकाम् । प्रवाति दक्षिणे वायौ मदनाग्निप्रदीपितः

Transliteration

gavākṣādhiṣṭhito'paśyaṃ vasaṃte munikanyakām | pravāti dakṣiṇe vāyau madanāgnipradīpitaḥ

Translation

Am Fensterdurchbruch stehend sah ich in der Frühlingszeit die Tochter eines Muni. Als der Südwind zu wehen begann, entflammte in mir das Feuer des Kāma (des Begehrens).

Word by Word

• gavākṣe: at/in the window
• gavākṣe: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gavākṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• adhiṣṭhitaḥ: stationed/standing
• adhiṣṭhitaḥ: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhi-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (aham)

• apaśyam: I saw
• apaśyam: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paś (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• vasante: in spring
• vasante: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasanta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• muni-kanyakām: a sage’s daughter
• muni-kanyakām: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: मुनेः कन्या)

• pravāti: blows
• pravāti: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; प्र-उपसर्ग

• dakṣiṇe: southern
• dakṣiṇe: Adhikaraṇa-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण (vāyau)

• vāyau: in the wind (as it blows)
• vāyau: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• madana-agni-pradīpitaḥ: kindled by the fire of love
• madana-agni-pradīpitaḥ: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madana (प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक) + pradīpita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √dīp with pra)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (vāyuḥ implied); समासः—तत्पुरुष (मदनाग्निना प्रदीपितः = kindled by the fire of love)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced—Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kailāsa (implied)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: From a latticed window (gavākṣa), the narrator glimpses a muni’s daughter in spring; southern breeze stirs garments and blossoms; an inner flame of desire is suggested through subtle red-gold aura around the observer.

Characters & Entities

• Madana (Kāma)
• Muni-kanyā (sage’s daughter)
• Dakṣiṇa-vāyu (southern breeze)
• Vasanta (spring)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sense-contact, aided by season and atmosphere, can ignite desire; dharma calls for alertness and restraint at its first stirring.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in this verse; it describes a scene within the broader sacred landscape narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse is descriptive, highlighting the psychology of temptation.