Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

सुदर्शनसुकर्णाख्यौ विमानस्थौ ददर्शतुः । तां दृष्ट्वा गालवसुतां रूपयौवनशालिनीम्

Transliteration

sudarśanasukarṇākhyau vimānasthau dadarśatuḥ | tāṃ dṛṣṭvā gālavasutāṃ rūpayauvanaśālinīm

Translation

Sudarśana et Sukarṇa, assis dans leur char aérien, la virent. En contemplant la fille de Gālava, riche de beauté et de grâce juvénile, leurs cœurs furent saisis.

Word by Word

• सुदर्शनसुकर्णाख्यौ: the two named Sudarśana and Sukarṇa
• सुदर्शनसुकर्णाख्यौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुदर्शन + सुकर्ण + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; बहुपद-समास (नामधारक): सुदर्शनः च सुकर्णः च इति आख्यौ (नाम्ना प्रसिद्धौ)

• विमानस्थौ: standing in the aerial car
• विमानस्थौ: Kartṛ-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमान + स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष: विमाने स्थौ (located in the aerial car)

• ददर्शतुः: saw
• ददर्शतुः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन, परस्मैपद

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): पूर्वक्रिया (having seen)

• गालवसुताम्: Gālava's daughter
• गालवसुताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गालव + सुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: गालवस्य सुता

• रूपयौवनशालिनीम्: possessing beauty and youth
• रूपयौवनशालिनीम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रूप + यौवन + शालिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: रूपेण यौवनेन च शालिनी (endowed with beauty and youth)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; specific speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two Vidyādhara princes—Sudarśana and Sukarṇa—stand in a jeweled vimāna above the coast, looking down at Gālava’s radiant daughter walking below.

Characters & Entities

• Sudarśana
• Sukarṇa
• Vimāna
• Gālava
• Gālava’s daughter

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It sets up a moral narrative where attraction and desire will be tested against dharma and right conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative occurs within Setukhaṇḍa, connected to the sanctity of Setukṣetra (Setu/Rāmeśvaram region).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces characters and circumstances.