Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

स्मृत्वा स्मृत्वाथ नृपतिश्चिन्तयामास भूपतिः । कस्मै देया मया बाला भविता कश्चतुर्भुजः

Transliteration

smṛtvā smṛtvātha nṛpatiścintayāmāsa bhūpatiḥ | kasmai deyā mayā bālā bhavitā kaścaturbhujaḥ

Translation

S’en souvenant sans cesse, le roi se mit à réfléchir : « À qui dois-je donner cette jeune fille ? Et qui donc est ce “Quatre-Bras” qui lui est destiné ? »

Word by Word

• स्मृत्वा: having remembered
• स्मृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त — Gerund (absolutive), indeclinable

• स्मृत्वा: having remembered again and again
• स्मृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त — Gerund (absolutive), indeclinable (repetition for emphasis)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Anantara (Sequence/अनन्तर)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक/प्रारम्भार्थक (then/now) — Indeclinable; discourse particle

• नृपतिः: the king
• नृपतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• चिन्तयामास: thought/pondered
• चिन्तयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्तय् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परिप्रश्न/वृत्तान्ते), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भूपतिः: the lord of the earth (king)
• भूपतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; नृपतिः इत्यस्य पुनरुक्ति (apposition)

• कस्मै: to whom
• कस्मै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन — Dative (4th), Singular

• देया: is to be given
• देया: Kriya (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: विधेय-भावे यत्-प्रत्यय (gerundive/भाव्य); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Gerundive ‘to be given’; Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन — Instrumental (3rd), Singular

• बाला: the girl
• बाला: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• भविता: will be
• भविता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Simple Future, 3rd person, Singular

• कः: who
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• चतुर्भुजः: four-armed
• चतुर्भुजः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; बहुव्रीहि (चत्वारो भुजाः यस्य सः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king seated in counsel, hand to forehead in thought; behind him a faint visionary silhouette of a four-armed deity (caturbhuja) suggested in the air, indicating destiny.

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣmaka (implied by context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kanyādāna is a sacred responsibility; a righteous ruler seeks alignment between social duty and divine indication.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) region frames the chapter, but this verse is focused on royal deliberation rather than tīrtha praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, it points to kanyādāna (the gifting of a daughter in marriage), though no procedural ritual details are stated.