Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

दृश्यन्ते चाभिशापाश्च पूर्वकर्मानुसंचिताः । कष्टाः कष्टतरावस्था गताः केचिदनागसः

Transliteration

dṛśyante cābhiśāpāśca pūrvakarmānusaṃcitāḥ | kaṣṭāḥ kaṣṭatarāvasthā gatāḥ kecidanāgasaḥ

Translation

Et l’on voit aussi des malédictions, amassées selon les actes d’autrefois. Certains, bien qu’apparemment sans faute, tombent dans la peine et des états plus pénibles encore.

Word by Word

• dṛśyante: are seen
• dṛśyante: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): 'are seen'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• abhiśāpāḥ: curses
• abhiśāpāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhiśāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन (nominative plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• pūrvakarmānusaṃcitāḥ: accumulated from former deeds
• pūrvakarmānusaṃcitāḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक) + anu + saṃ + ci (धातु) → anusaṃcita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) 'संचित' with उपसर्ग anu+saṃ; समासः: पूर्वकर्म (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + अनुसंचित (qualifying)

• kaṣṭāḥ: afflicted/hard-pressed
• kaṣṭāḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (agreeing with implied 'people')

• kaṣṭatarāvasthāḥ: more grievous conditions/states
• kaṣṭatarāvasthāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṣṭatara (प्रातिपदिक) + avasthā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (kaṣṭatarā avasthā)

• gatāḥ: having reached/attained
• gatāḥ: Kriya (Participial/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु) → gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्तरि-प्रयोग: 'having gone/attained' (participial predicate)

• kecit: some (people)
• kecit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim + cit (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक + अव्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम (some)

• anāgasaḥ: sinless/blameless
• anāgasaḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-āgas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-निर्मित विशेषण: 'अ-आगस्' (sinless)

Speaker

Śiva (didactic continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-context (implicit)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compassionate sage addresses pilgrims as a distressed yet ‘innocent-looking’ devotee sits nearby; shadowy symbolic forms of ‘śāpa’ (as dark script-like bands) hover and dissolve toward the river, indicating accumulated past causes.

Characters & Entities

• Abhiśāpa (curse)
• Pūrvakarma
• Suffering

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Suffering may arise from deep past causes (pūrvakarma, abhiśāpa), so one should respond with patience, devotion, and renewed dharma rather than blame.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching sits within the Revā Māhātmya framework of the Skanda Purāṇa, connected to the sacred Revā region rather than a single named spot in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the implied remedy in Purāṇic context is dharmic living, devotion to Śiva, and purificatory acts (such as vrata, dāna, japa) as appropriate.