Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

सन्तापं परमं जग्मुः श्रुत्वैतन्मुनयोऽखिलाः । ते रात्रौ शकुना भूत्वा संन्यवर्तन्त भारत

Transliteration

santāpaṃ paramaṃ jagmuḥ śrutvaitanmunayo'khilāḥ | te rātrau śakunā bhūtvā saṃnyavartanta bhārata

Translation

À cette nouvelle, tous les sages furent saisis de la plus profonde douleur. Puis, la nuit venue, devenus des oiseaux, ils revinrent—ô Bhārata.

Word by Word

• सन्तापम्: distress, anguish
• सन्तापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्ताप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• परमम्: supreme, extreme
• परमम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Accusative, Singular; विशेषण (qualifier)

• जग्मुः: went, reached
• जग्मुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; Parasmaipada

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकालिक)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; having heard

• एतत्: this (matter)
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• मुनयः: sages
• मुनयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अखिलाः: all, entire
• अखिलाः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Plural; विशेषण

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Pronoun; Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; Feminine, Locative, Singular

• शकुनाः: as birds
• शकुनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Plural; (predicate-nominative with भूत्वा)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकालिक)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक; having become

• संन्यवर्तन्त: returned
• संन्यवर्तन्त: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-नि-वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• भारत: O Bhārata
• भारत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (vocative), एकवचन; Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

Narrator (contextually: Śrī Markaṇḍeya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha sphere

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (epic-style vocative; likely a king/Janamejaya-type addressee in frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A gathering of austere sages, faces stricken with anguish, then at night transforming into birds and flying back over a moonlit riverine landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Munayaḥ
• Bhārata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The suffering of a holy ascetic moves even great sages, underscoring compassion alongside reverence for tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa narrative world (Revā/Narmadā region) is the contextual sacred geography; a named tirtha is not specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative description (sages reacting and traveling miraculously).