Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

प्रियो वा यदि वा द्वेष्यः स्त्रीणां भर्तैव दैवतम् । दुर्भगत्वेन दग्धाहं सखीमध्ये सुरेश्वर । भर्त्तर्यल्लब्धसौख्यास्मि तेन क्लिश्याम्यहं भृशम्

Transliteration

priyo vā yadi vā dveṣyaḥ strīṇāṃ bhartaiva daivatam | durbhagatvena dagdhāhaṃ sakhīmadhye sureśvara | bharttaryallabdhasaukhyāsmi tena kliśyāmyahaṃ bhṛśam

Translation

Whether dear or hostile, for women the husband alone is their deity. I am scorched by “ill-fortune” among my companions, O Lord of gods; since I have found no happiness with my husband, I suffer exceedingly.

Word by Word

• priyaḥ: dear/beloved
• priyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (masculine nominative singular adjective)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional indeclinable: 'if')

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• dveṣyaḥ: hated/undesirable
• dveṣyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dveṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (masculine nominative singular adjective)

• strīṇām: of women
• strīṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (feminine genitive plural)

• bhartā: husband
• bhartā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (masculine nominative singular)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle: 'indeed/only')

• daivatam: deity; divine object of worship
• daivatam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daivata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• durbhagatvena: due to ill-fortune
• durbhagatvena: Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durbhagatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; हेतौ/कारणे (instrumental of cause: 'due to')

• dagdhā: burnt/consumed
• dagdhā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dagdha (कृदन्त; √dah दह्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (feminine nominative singular)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (1st person pronoun, nominative singular)

• sakhī: (among) friends
• sakhī: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sakhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद (in compound context)

• madhye: in the midst
• madhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative: 'in the midst')

• sureśvara: O Lord of the gods
• sureśvara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (sureśvara = सुराणाम् ईश्वरः)

• bhartari: in (my) husband; with husband
• bhartari: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन (locative: 'in/with husband')

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun: 'which/that')

• labdha: obtained
• labdha: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: labdha (कृदन्त; √labh लभ्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद (in compound context)

• saukhyā: happiness/comfort
• saukhyā: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद (happiness/comfort)

• asmi: I am
• asmi: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; अस्-धातु (to be)

• tena: therefore/by that
• tena: Karana (Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; हेतौ (therefore/by that)

• kliśyāmi: I suffer; I am distressed
• kliśyāmi: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kliś (क्लिश्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (I suffer/am afflicted)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative singular)

• bhṛśam: greatly/excessively
• bhṛśam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhṛśam (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: 'excessively')

Speaker

Prabhā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) – uttara-taṭa tīrtha (as framed in Revākhaṇḍa episode)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sorrowful woman (Prabhā) among her companions on a riverbank, hands folded, expressing her ‘daurbhāgya’ and lack of conjugal happiness before the Lord of gods.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhā
• Sureśvara (Śiva)
• bhartṛ (husband)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human suffering—social and personal—can be transformed into a sincere turning toward the Divine for remedy and grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is part of the narrative that culminates in the glorification of Prabhāsa/Prabhāseśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual; the verse expresses the devotee’s plight and the intent behind her austerities and petition.