Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

अपापस्य तु येनेह कृतमस्य जिघांसनम् । ऋषीणां वचनं श्रुत्वा कृच्छ्रान्माण्डव्यकोऽब्रवीत्

Transliteration

apāpasya tu yeneha kṛtamasya jighāṃsanam | ṛṣīṇāṃ vacanaṃ śrutvā kṛcchrānmāṇḍavyako'bravīt

Translation

«Qui donc, en vérité, a commis ici la tentative de tuer cet être sans faute ?» Entendant les paroles des ṛṣi, Māṇḍavya parla avec peine, sous l’aiguillon de la douleur.

Word by Word

• अपापस्य: of the sinless (one)
• अपापस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘पापरहितस्य’ (genitive singular)

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/समुच्चयार्थ-व्यतिरेक (particle: but/indeed)

• येन: by whom
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम—‘येन’ (by whom/whereby)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: here)

• कृतम्: done, committed
• कृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृ-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘कृतम्’ = done/committed

• अस्य: of him/this (person)
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम—‘अस्य’ (of this/him)

• जिघांसनम्: the intent to kill
• जिघांसनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हन् (धातु) + सन् (इच्छार्थक) → जिघांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सन्नन्त-धातुजन्य नाम—‘जिघांसनम्’ (desire/intention to kill)

• ऋषीणाम्: of the sages
• ऋषीणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• वचनम्: the words
• वचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: श्रु-धातोः क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया—‘having heard’

• कृच्छ्रात्: with difficulty, from distress
• कृच्छ्रात्: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादानार्थ—‘कृच्छ्रात्’ (from distress/with difficulty)

• माण्डव्यकः: Māṇḍavyaka
• माण्डव्यकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माण्डव्यक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• अब्रवीत्: said
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; ‘said/spoke’

Speaker

Narrator → Māṇḍavya (speech begins/response introduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha milieu

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wounded ascetic (Māṇḍavya) speaks through pain as sages gather, shocked at an attempt on a blameless man; the atmosphere is austere and morally charged.

Characters & Entities

• Māṇḍavya
• Ṛṣis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma begins by recognizing innocence and asking rightly about responsibility and cause.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is highlighted; the focus is the moral drama within the Revā-khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces Māṇḍavya’s response to the sages’ inquiry.