Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

व्योमवर्त्मनितां रात्रौ यावन्मलयपर्वतम् । स निनीषति तावच्च विद्युन्माली समागतः

Transliteration

vyomavartmanitāṃ rātrau yāvanmalayaparvatam | sa ninīṣati tāvacca vidyunmālī samāgataḥ

Translation

As he bore her along the path of the sky at night, intending to take her as far as Mount Malaya, Vidyunmālī arrived at that very moment.

Word by Word

• व्योमवर्त्मनिताम्: carried along the path of the sky
• व्योमवर्त्मनिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्योम (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्त्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + नीत (कृदन्त; √नी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘व्योम-वर्त्म’ (sky-path) तत्पुरुष + ‘नीत’ (led/carried) भूतकृदन्त; विशेषण (of ताम् understood)

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• यावत्: up to, as far as
• यावत्: Avadhi (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक (limit/extent marker) = up to/as far as

• मलयपर्वतम्: Mount Malaya
• मलयपर्वतम्: Gati-karma (Goal/Object of motion/गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मलय (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष = ‘मलय-नामकः पर्वतः’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निनीषति: was taking/intended to take (her)
• निनीषति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नी (धातु) (णिच् causative: निनेषयति/निनीषति)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative/intensive sense) = intends to lead/take

• तावत्: just then, meanwhile
• तावत्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावदर्थक (correlative adverb) = meanwhile/just then

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• विद्युन्माली: Vidyunmālī (a person named ‘Garlanded with lightning’)
• विद्युन्माली: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्युत् (प्रातिपदिक) + माली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष = ‘विद्युतः माला यस्य’/‘विद्युत्-माला’ सम्बन्धी; नाम (proper name)

• समागतः: arrived
• समागतः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√गम् (धातु) → समागत (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त = arrived/come

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda addressing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Malaya-parvata (as destination reference)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (traditional frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night sky with clouds; the Vidyādhara carries Suśīlā toward distant Malaya; at the critical moment Vidyunmālī appears—an imposing aerial figure confronting the abductor.

Characters & Entities

• Suśīlā
• Vidyādhara
• Vidyunmālī
• Malaya-parvata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharmic acts invite sudden obstacles; destiny turns swiftly when dharma’s counter-force appears.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No Kāśī tirtha is named here; a geographic landmark (Malaya-parvata) is referenced within the story.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.