Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

व्याघ्रो मायामयो यस्ते शरैरक्षतविग्रहः । धीरतां द्रष्टुकामस्ते पत्नीं याचितवानहम्

Transliteration

vyāghro māyāmayo yaste śarairakṣatavigrahaḥ | dhīratāṃ draṣṭukāmaste patnīṃ yācitavānaham

Translation

Ce tigre—dont le corps ne fut pas atteint même par tes flèches—n’était qu’une forme façonnée par la māyā. Désireux de voir ta constance courageuse, je t’ai demandé ton épouse.

Word by Word

• व्याघ्रः: the tiger
• व्याघ्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मायामयः: made of illusion
• मायामयः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माया + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः ‘मायया मयः/मायामयः’ (made of illusion)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject of relative clause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Relative pronoun)

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive)

• शरैः: by arrows
• शरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Instrumental plural)

• अक्षत: unwounded
• अक्षत: Sambandha (Qualifier within compound)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (in compound; ‘uninjured’)

• विग्रहः: body/form
• विग्रहः: Karta (Subject; ‘body/form’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• धीरताम्: steadfastness/courage
• धीरताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धीरता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative)

• द्रष्टुकामः: desiring to see
• द्रष्टुकामः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective of speaker)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्रष्टु (दृश्-धातोः तुमुन्) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तुमुन्-तत्पुरुषः (draṣṭum kāmaḥ)

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive)

• पत्नीम्: wife
• पत्नीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• याचितवान्: (I) requested
• याचितवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: याच् (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (Perfect participle/agentive past), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन; कर्तरि ‘having requested’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The deity explains that the tiger was an illusory construct, immune to arrows, created to test the king’s courage; the shocking request for the wife is framed as a deliberate dharma-test rather than cruelty.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• vyāghra (illusory tiger)
• māyā
• king (implied listener)
• patnī (wife)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly threats may be māyā; dharma is proven by unwavering courage and selfless commitment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is explicitly mentioned in this verse; the emphasis is on ethical testing and Śiva’s līlā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse narrates a test of character rather than a ritual command.