Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

व्योमवर्त्मनितां रात्रौ यावन्मलयपर्वतम् । स निनीषति तावच्च विद्युन्माली समागतः

Transliteration

vyomavartmanitāṃ rātrau yāvanmalayaparvatam | sa ninīṣati tāvacca vidyunmālī samāgataḥ

Translation

Alors qu'il la portait le long du chemin céleste dans la nuit, avec l'intention de l'emmener jusqu'au mont Malaya, Vidyunmālī arriva à cet instant précis.

Word by Word

• व्योमवर्त्मनिताम्: carried along the path of the sky
• व्योमवर्त्मनिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्योम (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्त्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + नीत (कृदन्त; √नी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘व्योम-वर्त्म’ (sky-path) तत्पुरुष + ‘नीत’ (led/carried) भूतकृदन्त; विशेषण (of ताम् understood)

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• यावत्: up to, as far as
• यावत्: Avadhi (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक (limit/extent marker) = up to/as far as

• मलयपर्वतम्: Mount Malaya
• मलयपर्वतम्: Gati-karma (Goal/Object of motion/गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मलय (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष = ‘मलय-नामकः पर्वतः’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निनीषति: was taking/intended to take (her)
• निनीषति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नी (धातु) (णिच् causative: निनेषयति/निनीषति)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative/intensive sense) = intends to lead/take

• तावत्: just then, meanwhile
• तावत्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावदर्थक (correlative adverb) = meanwhile/just then

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

• विद्युन्माली: Vidyunmālī (a person named ‘Garlanded with lightning’)
• विद्युन्माली: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्युत् (प्रातिपदिक) + माली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष = ‘विद्युतः माला यस्य’/‘विद्युत्-माला’ सम्बन्धी; नाम (proper name)

• समागतः: arrived
• समागतः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√गम् (धातु) → समागत (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त = arrived/come

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda addressing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Malaya-parvata (as destination reference)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (traditional frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night sky with clouds; the Vidyādhara carries Suśīlā toward distant Malaya; at the critical moment Vidyunmālī appears—an imposing aerial figure confronting the abductor.

Characters & Entities

• Suśīlā
• Vidyādhara
• Vidyunmālī
• Malaya-parvata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharmic acts invite sudden obstacles; destiny turns swiftly when dharma’s counter-force appears.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No Kāśī tirtha is named here; a geographic landmark (Malaya-parvata) is referenced within the story.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.