Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

परमापद्गतस्यापि जन्तोरेषा प्रतिक्रिया । यन्मासाधिपतेर्विष्णोर्मासनामानुकीर्तनम्

Transliteration

paramāpadgatasyāpi jantoreṣā pratikriyā | yanmāsādhipaterviṣṇormāsanāmānukīrtanam

Translation

Même pour celui qui est tombé dans l’extrême détresse, voici le remède : la répétition des noms des mois de Viṣṇu, le Seigneur qui préside aux mois.

Word by Word

• parama-āpad-gatasya: of one who has fallen into extreme calamity
• parama-āpad-gatasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + āpad (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (विशेषण-विशेष्यभावः: 'परमायाम् आपदि गतः'); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (सामान्यतः पुं), षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन

• api: even
• api: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle) — 'अपि' (even/also)

• jantoḥ: of a creature/person
• jantoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jantu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन

• eṣā: this
• eṣā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pratikriyā: remedy/countermeasure
• pratikriyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratikriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• yat: which (namely)
• yat: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• māsa-adhipateḥ: of the lord of the month
• māsa-adhipateḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी: 'मासस्य अधिपतिः'); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन

• viṣṇoḥ: of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन

• māsa-nāma-anukīrtanam: the recitation of the month-names
• māsa-nāma-anukīrtanam: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक) + anukīrtana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-भावः: 'मासस्य नाम्नाम् अनुकīर्तनम्'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (general)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in crisis on a river journey holds prayer beads; above, a circular wheel of months encircles Viṣṇu, indicating ‘Lord of months’; the devotee chants steadily as turmoil subsides.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Māsādhipati (Viṣṇu as Lord of the months)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When all supports fail, nāma-kīrtana of Viṣṇu—structured through sacred time (months)—is upheld as a direct remedy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific pilgrimage place is named; the verse emphasizes a universally available practice within the Revā Khaṇḍa discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Māsa-nāma-anukīrtana: repeated chanting of Viṣṇu’s names assigned to each lunar month.