Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

सापश्यत्तत्र देवेशं गोपवेषधरं हरिम् । तं दृष्ट्वा मोहमापन्ना कामेन कलुषीकृता

Transliteration

sāpaśyattatra deveśaṃ gopaveṣadharaṃ harim | taṃ dṛṣṭvā mohamāpannā kāmena kaluṣīkṛtā

Translation

Là, elle aperçut le Seigneur des dieux—Hari—revêtu de l’habit d’un gardien de vaches. En le voyant, elle fut saisie de trouble, l’esprit remué et obscurci par le désir de l’amour.

Word by Word

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• अपश्यत्: saw
• अपश्यत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• देवेशम्: lord of the gods
• देवेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानाम् ईशः)

• गोपवेषधरम्: wearing a cowherd’s guise
• गोपवेषधरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोप + वेष + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (गोपस्य वेषः तं धरति)

• हरिम्: Hari (Vishnu)
• हरिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषण (gerund/absolutive), ‘having seen’

• मोहम्: delusion
• मोहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आपन्ना: having fallen into / having reached
• आपन्ना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आपद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘प्राप्ता/गतवती’

• कामेन: by desire (lust)
• कामेन: Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• कलुषीकृता: made impure / tainted
• कलुषीकृता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कलुषी + कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP) ‘कलुषीकृत’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-mārga

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the bank of Revā, a radiant Hari appears in cowherd attire; the maiden’s gaze fixes on him, her posture softening into bewildered longing as the landscape glows with tīrtha-auspiciousness.

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Kṛṣṇa)
• Rukmiṇī
• Deveśa
• Gopa-veṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Divine may appear in simple forms; recognition awakens overpowering devotion that transforms the heart.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode is set near the Ambikā worship locale at Kuṇḍina; it functions as a sacred narrative landmark within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s pilgrimage-centered worldview.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse emphasizes darśana—seeing the Lord—as spiritually catalytic.