Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

अभक्ष्या तेन संजाता सदाकालं वसुंधरा । तदार्धमर्द्धं नारीणां द्वितीयेऽह्नि युधिष्ठिर

Transliteration

abhakṣyā tena saṃjātā sadākālaṃ vasuṃdharā | tadārdhamarddhaṃ nārīṇāṃ dvitīye'hni yudhiṣṭhira

Translation

Par cette part, la Terre devint, pour toujours, quelque chose dont les produits ne sont pas entièrement propres à être mangés. Et la moitié de cette part échut aux femmes le second jour, ô Yudhiṣṭhira.

Word by Word

• अभक्ष्या: inedible
• अभक्ष्या: Kriya-Complement (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभक्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् वसुंधरा प्रति (not fit to be eaten)

• तेन: by that; thereby
• तेन: Karana (Cause/Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; हेतु/करणार्थे

• संजाता: became
• संजाता: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + जन् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle) ‘संजात’ (become), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वसुंधरा-सम्बद्धम्

• सदा: always
• सदा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नित्यत्ववाचक (always)

• कालम्: for (all) time
• कालम्: Adhikarana (Time-extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालावधि-अर्थे (accusative of extent of time)

• वसुंधरा: the earth
• वसुंधरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुंधरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्-अर्धम्: half of that
• तत्-अर्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अर्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (half of that)

• अर्धम्: half
• अर्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पूर्वपदेन सह ‘तत्-अर्धम् अर्धम्’ = ‘half (and) half’ (distribution)

• नारीणाम्: of women
• नारीणाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• द्वितीये: on the second
• द्वितीये: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् अह्नि प्रति

• अह्नि: day
• अह्नि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• युधिष्ठिर: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator addressing Yudhiṣṭhira (Mahābhārata-style frame echoed in Purāṇic discourse)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Earth (Bhū-devī) receives a portion of the sin, becoming partially ‘unfit’; a further share falls upon women—shown symbolically as a shadow passing into embodied life—while Yudhiṣṭhira listens.

Characters & Entities

• Vasuṃdharā (Earth)
• Nārī (women)
• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma often explains social and ritual conditions through cosmic narratives of shared burden and regulated purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha; the verse is etiological (explaining origins of rules) within the Revā Khaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite; it implies ongoing purity restrictions connected with consumption and bodily states.