Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 94

Devanagari script

गालव उवाच । बकवृत्तिमुपाश्रित्य वंचितोऽहं यतस्त्वया । तस्माद्बकस्त्वं भविता चिरकालं नराधम

Transliteration

gālava uvāca | bakavṛttimupāśritya vaṃcito'haṃ yatastvayā | tasmādbakastvaṃ bhavitā cirakālaṃ narādhama

Translation

Gālava said: “Because, resorting to the conduct of a crane, you deceived me—therefore you shall become a crane for a long time, O vilest of men.”

Word by Word

• गालवः: Gālava
• गालवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• बकवृत्तिम्: the conduct of a crane
• बकवृत्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बक-वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (बकस्य वृत्तिः)

• उपाश्रित्य: having resorted to
• उपाश्रित्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उप-आ-श्रि (धातु) → उपाश्रित्य (कृदन्त, क्त्वा/ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यपन्त अव्यय (gerund); अर्थः—आश्रित्य (having resorted to)

• वञ्चितः: was deceived
• वञ्चितः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वञ्च् (धातु) → वञ्चित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘अहम्’ इत्यस्य विधेय

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• यतः: because
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (हेतुवाचक) = because/since

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात् (अव्यय/तद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (ablatival adverb) = therefore/from that reason

• बकः: a crane
• बकः: Karya (Result/कार्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• भविता: will become
• भविता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु) → भवितृ (कृदन्त, तृ)
• Form: भविष्यत्कर्तरि कृदन्त (agent noun with future sense); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अर्थः—भविष्यसि (you will become)

• चिरकालम्: for a long time
• चिरकालम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिर-काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कालवाचक-द्वितीया (accusative of duration); कर्मधारय (चिरः कालः)

• नराधम: O worst of men
• नराधम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर-अधम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नराणाम् अधमः)

Speaker

Gālava

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The offender (addressed as ‘narādhama’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gālava pronounces the curse with judicial clarity; the offender is depicted with crane symbolism—either a shadow of a crane behind him or partial avian features—signaling the moral mirroring of deceit into form.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Deceit (vañcana) rebounds upon the deceiver; adopting hypocritical ‘crane-like’ behavior leads to fitting karmic punishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is ethical and narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.