Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

विनतोवाच । सत्यानृते तु वचने पणोऽयं ते ममैव तु । सहस्रं वत्सरान्दासी भवेयं तव वेश्मनि

Transliteration

vinatovāca | satyānṛte tu vacane paṇo'yaṃ te mamaiva tu | sahasraṃ vatsarāndāsī bhaveyaṃ tava veśmani

Translation

Vinatā dit : «Quant à la vérité ou au mensonge des paroles, ce pari demeure entre toi et moi. Si je perds, je serai ta servante dans ta demeure durant mille ans.»

Word by Word

• विनता: Vinatā
• विनता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vinatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (उक्तिवाचक-कर्तृ)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सत्यानृते: in (matters of) truth and falsehood
• सत्यानृते: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya-anṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; समास: सत्यं च अनृतं च (truth and falsehood)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विरोध/विशेषार्थक (but/indeed)

• वचने: in speech/statement
• वचने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• पणः: wager/stake
• पणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Visheshya (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ते: of you/your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive) एकवचन; (enclitic)

• मम: of me/my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphasis: indeed/only)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनर्विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• सहस्रम्: a thousand
• सहस्रम्: Kala-adhikarana (Duration/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक (measure)

• वत्सरान्: years
• वत्सरान्: Kala-adhikarana (Duration/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vatsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• दासी: a maidservant
• दासी: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāsī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate noun)

• भवेयम्: I would be
• भवेयम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तव: of you/your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• वेश्मनि: in (your) house
• वेश्मनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veśman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

Speaker

Vinatā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpottama) in the surrounding passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vinatā speaks with calm firmness: the wager about truth/falsehood stands; if she loses, she will serve as maid for a thousand years—accepting the consequence rather than lying.

Characters & Entities

• Vinatā
• Kadrū

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Words bind destiny: a vow or wager (paṇa) made around truth and falsehood can lead to bondage and suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a narrative setup within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is on ethical commitment and the consequence of losing a wager.