Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

स्वैरिणीं त्वां प्रपश्यामि राक्षसी तस्करी नु किम् । एवमुक्त्वा क्षणं मोहात्क्रन्दमानो मुहुर्मुहुः

Transliteration

svairiṇīṃ tvāṃ prapaśyāmi rākṣasī taskarī nu kim | evamuktvā kṣaṇaṃ mohātkrandamāno muhurmuhuḥ

Translation

«Je te vois comme une femme débauchée : es-tu une rākṣasī, ou bien une voleuse ?» Ayant dit cela, et un instant saisi d’égarement, il pleura encore et encore.

Word by Word

• स्वैरिणीम्: a wanton woman, libertine (f.)
• स्वैरिणीम्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वैरिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd case/accusative), एकवचन

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रपश्यामि: I see clearly
• प्रपश्यामि: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + पश्य् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार; उत्तमपुरुष (1st person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• राक्षसी: a demoness
• राक्षसी: Karta (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तस्करी: a thief (f.)
• तस्करी: Karta (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तस्करी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नु: indeed? / then?
• नु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नु (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न/अनुनासिक-निपात (interrogative/emphatic particle)

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Sambandha (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative particle)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वच् (धातु) + त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): having said

• क्षणम्: for a moment
• क्षणम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (for a moment)

• मोहात्: from delusion
• मोहात्: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th case/ablative), एकवचन

• क्रन्दमानः: crying, lamenting
• क्रन्दमानः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रन्द् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle); पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मुहुः: again and again
• मुहुः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: repeatedly)

• मुहुः: repeatedly
• मुहुः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुहुः (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्त-अव्यय (reduplication for emphasis)

Speaker

Impalement-suffering brāhmaṇa/ṛṣi (husband, implied)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra ambience (unspecified)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A man, eyes wide, points accusingly at a lone woman in the night; his body shakes as he breaks into repeated sobs; the woman stands composed, shadowed by moonlight.

Characters & Entities

• rākṣasī
• taskarī
• moha (delusion)
• Śāṇḍilī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Delusion can distort perception and speech; dharma calls for restraint and truth, especially when one is overwhelmed by pain.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is praised in this verse; it serves the moral drama within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative arc.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse focuses on inner states (moha, grief) and the ethical consequences of accusatory speech.