Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा त्वां सीदमानं तु रुद्रेणाहं विसर्जिता । तं द्विजं तारयस्वार्ये मा प्राणांस्त्यजतां जले

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā tvāṃ sīdamānaṃ tu rudreṇāhaṃ visarjitā | taṃ dvijaṃ tārayasvārye mā prāṇāṃstyajatāṃ jale

Translation

Te voyant sombrer, Rudra m’a dépêchée. Ô noble dame, sauve ce brāhmane—qu’il ne rende pas son souffle dans les eaux.

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• सीदमानम्: sinking, in distress
• सीदमानम्: Viśeṣaṇa (of त्वाम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √सद् (धातु) + शतृ (वर्तमान-कृदन्त) → सीदमान (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle, आत्मनेपद-प्राय), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘sinking/distressed’

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/अन्वय-बोधक

• रुद्रेण: by Rudra
• रुद्रेण: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (logical subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विसर्जिता: was dispatched
• विसर्जिता: Kriyā (Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + √सृज् (धातु) + क्त → विसर्जित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘sent/let go’ (passive)

• तम्: that
• तम्: Karman
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

• द्विजम्: the brahmin
• द्विजम्: Karman
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वि-ज (प्रातिपदिक; components: द्वि + ज)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘द्विर्जात’ इत्यर्थे

• तारयस्व: save, deliver
• तारयस्व: Kriyā (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तॄ (धातु, ‘तारय’ causative stem)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative) भावः

• आर्ये: O noble lady
• आर्ये: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• मा: do not
• मा: Pratiṣedha (Prohibition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात (prohibitive particle)

• प्राणान्: life-breaths, life
• प्राणान्: Karman
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

• त्यजताम्: let (him/them) give up
• त्यजताम्: Kriyā (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), तृतीयपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘let (him/them) abandon’

• जले: in water
• जले: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (deduced: a divine messenger/being speaking within the Revā-khaṇḍa narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The addressed ‘ārye’ (noble lady) within the story-world; functionally the human/agent who can effect rescue

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine messenger (Gaurī/Narmadā) speaks urgently: ‘I was sent by Rudra; save the brāhmaṇa sinking in the water.’ The scene is tense—churning water, imminent danger, compassionate command.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra (Śiva)
• Dvija (Brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śaiva grace acts through compassionate intervention; protecting life—especially of the dharmic—aligns one with Rudra’s will.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape of the Revā-khaṇḍa in the Āvantya-khaṇḍa is the implied tīrtha setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the implied dharma is immediate rescue and protection of a person in peril.