Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

मत्तमातङ्गनिःश्वासैः स्यन्दनैः संकुलीकृतम् । हयहेषितशब्दैश्च नारीणां नूपुरस्वनैः

Transliteration

mattamātaṅganiḥśvāsaiḥ syandanaiḥ saṃkulīkṛtam | hayaheṣitaśabdaiśca nārīṇāṃ nūpurasvanaiḥ

Translation

Il était encombré de chars et rempli du souffle brûlant des éléphants en rut ; il résonnait du hennissement des chevaux et du tintement des grelots aux chevilles des femmes.

Word by Word

• मत्तमातङ्गनिःश्वासैः: with the breaths of intoxicated elephants
• मत्तमातङ्गनिःश्वासैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्त (प्रातिपदिक) + मातङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + निःश्वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (मत्तमातङ्गानां निःश्वासैः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

• स्यन्दनैः: with chariots
• स्यन्दनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्यन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

• संकुलीकृतम्: made crowded, thronged
• संकुलीकृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्- (उपसर्ग) + कुल्/कुलाय्? (प्रातिपदिक संकुल) + कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नामधातु/कृदन्त (संकुली√कृ) क्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; made crowded/filled

• हयहेषितशब्दैः: with the sounds of horses’ neighing
• हयहेषितशब्दैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हय (प्रातिपदिक) + हेषित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + शब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (हयानां हेषितस्य शब्दैः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• नारीणाम्: of women
• नारीणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• नूपुरस्वनैः: with the jingling sounds of anklets
• नूपुरस्वनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नूपुर (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (नूपुराणां स्वनैः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, not explicitly named in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) kṣetra (contextual frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (generic)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A bustling palace forecourt: chariots packed tightly, steaming rutting elephants, horses tossing heads, women moving in groups with anklets ringing; dust and incense in the air.

Characters & Entities

• Bāṇa (context: his city/palace)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even dazzling worldly splendor—armies, vehicles, and festive noise—remains part of transient power, contrasted later by the authority of divine messengers and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader frame is the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā sacred region), though this verse itself describes Bāṇa’s urban grandeur rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is descriptive (city soundscape and royal bustle).