Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

एवमुक्तोऽथ देवेन स वणिग्लोभमोहितः । योजयामास बलका लिङ्गे चोत्तममध्यमान्

Transliteration

evamukto'tha devena sa vaṇiglobhamohitaḥ | yojayāmāsa balakā liṅge cottamamadhyamān

Translation

Ainsi apostrophé par le Dieu, le marchand—égaré par l’avidité—se mit à disposer les oiseaux balākā sur le liṅga, les arrangeant aux places les meilleures et au milieu.

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (adverb: thus)

• uktaḥ: (he) having been told/addressed
• uktaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom./1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Sequencer)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अनन्तरबोधक (particle: then/now)

• devena: by the god
• devena: Karta (कर्ता/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• vaṇik: the merchant
• vaṇik: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṇij (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); (पाठे ‘वणिग्’ = ‘वणिक्’ व्यञ्जनसन्धि)

• lobha-mohitaḥ: deluded by greed
• lobha-mohitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lobha + mohita (प्रातिपदिक; moha from मुह्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nom./1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (तृतीया/हेतु): लोभेन मोहितः (deluded by greed)

• yojayāmāsa: he applied/attached
• yojayāmāsa: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yuj (युज् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular); causative sense (णिच्): योजयति → योजयामास

• balakāḥ: cranes (balakā birds)
• balakāḥ: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: balakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• liṅge: on the liṅga
• liṅge: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• uttama-madhyamān: the best and the middling (ones)
• uttama-madhyamān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama + madhyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः—द्वन्द्व (इतरेतर): उत्तमाश्च मध्यमाश्च

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice, likely Sūta/Skanda-context narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The merchant, eyes gleaming with greed, begins placing balākā birds onto/around the liṅga, arranging them as if in ranked positions—an odd, mistaken ‘decoration’ that signals delusion.

Characters & Entities

• Parameśvara (Śiva)
• vaṇik (merchant)
• liṅga
• balākā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greed can distort devotion; actions around a Śiva-liṅga should be guided by sincerity rather than profit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Devamārga/Balākeśvara setting within Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā-region sacred geography) is being prepared for glorification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite is prescribed here; it narrates arranging offerings/ornamentation (balākā) upon the liṅga.