Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

हस्त्यश्वरथसम्पूर्णां धनवाहनसंयुताम् । अलंकृतो गुणैः सर्वैरनपत्यो महीपतिः

Transliteration

hastyaśvarathasampūrṇāṃ dhanavāhanasaṃyutām | alaṃkṛto guṇaiḥ sarvairanapatyo mahīpatiḥ

Translation

Ce seigneur de la terre possédait une armée au complet—éléphants, chevaux et chars—et jouissait de richesses et de montures. Orné de toutes les vertus, le roi demeurait sans descendance.

Word by Word

• हस्त्यश्वरथसम्पूर्णाम्: filled with elephants, horses, and chariots
• हस्त्यश्वरथसम्पूर्णाम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hasti (प्रातिपदिक) + aśva (प्रातिपदिक) + ratha (प्रातिपदिक) + sampūrṇa (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-विशेषण)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (समाहार/संबन्ध): हस्ति-अश्व-रथैः सम्पूर्णा; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• धनवाहनसंयुताम्: endowed with wealth and vehicles
• धनवाहनसंयुताम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक) + vāhana (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyuta (कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: धन-वाहनैः संयुता; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• अलंकृतः: adorned
• अलंकृतः: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: alaṃkṛ (धातु) → alaṃkṛta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• गुणैः: with virtues/qualities
• गुणैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन

• सर्वैः: all
• सर्वैः: Karaṇa-viśeṣaṇa (Instrument qualifier/करणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (गुणैः इति पदस्य)

• अनपत्यः: childless
• अनपत्यः: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-apatya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्-पूर्वक विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• महीपतिः: the lord of the earth, king
• महीपतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी): महीयाः पतिः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic martial tableau—elephants, horses, chariots, banners—then a quiet interior scene of the king alone, contemplative, indicating the absence of an heir despite abundance.

Characters & Entities

• Devapanna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly completeness—power, wealth, and virtue—can still leave a human longing unfulfilled, prompting recourse to dharma, vows, and tīrtha-seeking in Purāṇic narratives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it prepares the narrative cause that typically leads the king toward a particular Revā-region tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the condition ‘anapatya’ commonly becomes the impetus for vrata, dāna, and tīrtha-snana in subsequent verses.