Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

पृष्टौ तौ प्रणतौ राज्ञा यथावृत्तं यथाश्रुतम् । कथयामासतुः पार्थ दानवौ काकतां गतौ

Transliteration

pṛṣṭau tau praṇatau rājñā yathāvṛttaṃ yathāśrutam | kathayāmāsatuḥ pārtha dānavau kākatāṃ gatau

Translation

Questionnés par le roi, tous deux, prosternés, rapportèrent exactement ce qui s’était passé et ce qu’ils avaient entendu, ô Pārtha : deux dānavas ayant pris la forme de corbeaux.

Word by Word

• पृष्टौ: having been questioned
• पृष्टौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पृष्ट (कृदन्त; √पृच्छ् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, विशेषण (having been asked)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन

• प्रणतौ: bowed
• प्रणतौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रणत (कृदन्त; √नम् (धातु) + प्र + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, विशेषण (bowed down)

• राज्ञा: by the king
• राज्ञा: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; कर्तृ-निर्देश (agent)

• यथा-वृत्तम्: as it happened
• यथा-वृत्तम्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा-वृत्त (प्रातिपदिक; यथा + वृत्त(√वृत् + क्त))
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (adverbial accusative)

• यथा-श्रुतम्: as it was heard
• यथा-श्रुतम्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा-श्रुत (प्रातिपदिक; यथा + श्रुत(√श्रु + क्त))
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (adverbial accusative)

• कथयामासतुः: they related/told
• कथयामासतुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कथ् (धातु) (causative stem कथय-)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person/प्रथम), द्विवचन; परस्मैपद

• पार्थ: O Pārtha
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• दानवौ: two demons
• दानवौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन; कर्ता

• काकताम्: the state of being crows
• काकताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काकता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (state attained)

• गतौ: having attained (it)
• गतौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत (कृदन्त; √गम् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, विशेषण (having gone/attained)

Speaker

Narrator addressing Pārtha (Arjuna)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The king (addressed as Pārtha in the verse’s vocative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the king’s court, two crows bow and speak; their true nature as dānavas is hinted—shadowy aura or partially revealed forms—while courtiers listen in astonishment.

Characters & Entities

• King (unnamed in this snippet)
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Dānava
• Two crows

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Truthful reporting and humility before authority serve dharma, and even extraordinary beings become instruments to reveal tīrtha greatness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śukla Tīrtha on the Narmadā is the underlying subject of the report.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative relay of testimony.