Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

ततो निरीक्षते चोर्ध्वमधश्चैव दिशो दश । वेपमानः स भीतश्च प्रस्खलंश्च पदे पदे

Transliteration

tato nirīkṣate cordhvamadhaścaiva diśo daśa | vepamānaḥ sa bhītaśca praskhalaṃśca pade pade

Translation

Alors il regarde en haut et en bas, et vers les dix directions. Tremblant de peur, il trébuche à chaque pas.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: देश/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• निरीक्षते: he looks, observes
• निरीक्षते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir-√īkṣ (ईक्ष् धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ऊर्ध्वम्: upwards
• ऊर्ध्वम्: Desha (Direction/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणवत् द्वितीया-एकवचन (adverbial accusative)

• अधः: downwards
• अधः: Desha (Direction/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhas (अव्यय)
• Form: दिशावाचक-अव्यय (directional adverb)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic/limiting particle)

• दिशः: directions
• दिशः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्/अविकारी संख्याशब्दः; अत्र ‘दिशः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (ten)

• वेपमानः: trembling
• वेपमानः: Visheshana (Participial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vip (वेप्/विप् धातु ‘to tremble’) + शानच्
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्तरि कृदन्त (शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘trembling’

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

• भीतः: afraid
• भीतः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhīta (प्रातिपदिक; √bhī ‘to fear’ से क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्तान्त-विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• प्रस्खलन्: stumbling
• प्रस्खलन्: Visheshana (Participial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√skhal (स्खल् धातु) + शतृ
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्तरि कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘stumbling’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• पदे: at (each) step
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः

• पदे: step by step
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (idiom: pade pade)

Speaker

Unknown (Revā Khaṇḍa narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) narrative setting

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A frightened figure scanning up and down and across the ten directions; the space seems to spin, with directional guardians faintly suggested; the pilgrim stumbles repeatedly, conveying moral and psychological vertigo.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A mind burdened by wrongdoing becomes unstable and terrified; the text dramatizes inner guilt as outer disorientation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific holy site is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is descriptive imagery.