Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

किं दुःखं को नु सन्तापः कुतो वो भयमागतम् । कथयध्वं महाभागाः कारणं यन्मनोगतम्

Transliteration

kiṃ duḥkhaṃ ko nu santāpaḥ kuto vo bhayamāgatam | kathayadhvaṃ mahābhāgāḥ kāraṇaṃ yanmanogatam

Translation

«Quel chagrin est-ce là ? Quelle affliction s’est levée ? D’où vient votre peur ? Dites-moi, ô bienheureux, la cause qui pèse sur vos cœurs.»

Word by Word

• किम्: what
• किम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• दुःखम्: sorrow, pain
• दुःखम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृ/विषय (what is the sorrow?)

• कः: what/which (who)
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

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

• सन्तापः: distress, affliction
• सन्तापः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्ताप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृ/विषय

• कुतः: from where/why
• कुतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb: source)

• वः: your
• वः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (6th/4th) बहुवचन-एकादेश (enclitic pronoun); अत्र षष्ठी (your)

• भयम्: fear
• भयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृ/विषय

• आगतम्: has come, arisen
• आगतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय (has come)

• कथयध्वम्: tell (me), explain
• कथयध्वम्: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कथ्/√कथय् (धातु; causative stem कथय)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• महाभागाः: O fortunate ones
• महाभागाः: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-भाग (प्रातिपदिक; महा + भाग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे प्रयोग (vocative sense)

• कारणम्: the cause
• कारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• मनोगतम्: that has entered the mind, in your mind
• मनोगतम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनस्-गत (प्रातिपदिक; मनस् + गत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying yat/kāraṇam)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara/Rudra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha-cycle (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: devas (addressed as mahābhāgāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva leans slightly forward, gaze compassionate; the assembly appears uneasy; some devas avert eyes, hands lowered, indicating shame and fear soon to be revealed.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord invites truthful disclosure and surrender; divine help begins with honest articulation of suffering and its cause.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tirtha is named in this verse; it belongs to the Revā Khaṇḍa milieu associated with the sanctity of the Revā (Narmadā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse functions as inquiry preceding the devas’ report.