Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा पक्षिसमूहं तु अस्थिखण्डं व्यसर्जयत् । विहगानां समस्तानां धावतां चैव पश्यताम्

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā pakṣisamūhaṃ tu asthikhaṇḍaṃ vyasarjayat | vihagānāṃ samastānāṃ dhāvatāṃ caiva paśyatām

Translation

Mais, voyant la troupe d’oiseaux, il laissa tomber le fragment d’os, tandis que tous les oiseaux accouraient et regardaient.

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (Gerund), पूर्वकाले

• पक्षिसमूहम्: a flock of birds
• पक्षिसमूहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्षि (प्रातिपदिक) + समूह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पक्षिणां समूहः)

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Discourse (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• अस्थिखण्डम्: a piece of bone
• अस्थिखण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक) + खण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अस्थ्नः खण्डम्)

• व्यसर्जयत्: he/it threw away, released
• व्यसर्जयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + सृज् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विहगानाम्: of the birds
• विहगानाम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विहग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• समस्तानाम्: of all (of them)
• समस्तानाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• धावताम्: of (them) running
• धावताम्: Karta (Genitive absolute-like qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धाव् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present Participle, Parasmaipada), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Discourse (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक निपात (conjunction)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Discourse (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• पश्यताम्: of (them) watching
• पश्यताम्: Karta (Genitive qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present Participle, Parasmaipada), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

A princess/maiden recounting her former-life account to a king (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) context; specific sub-tīrtha not named in provided verses

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A predator bird releases the bone fragment; below, a rushing, watching multitude of birds converges, creating a whirl of wings around the falling relic; the ground/riverbank is poised to become the focal point.

Characters & Entities

• Birds (vihaga/pakṣin)
• Bone fragment (asthi-khaṇḍa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A seemingly minor event becomes the turning point that carries the soul toward grace, emphasizing the hidden workings of dharma and tīrtha-merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā tīrtha, immediately before the bone fragment falls into the sacred waters near Hanūmanteśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.