Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

उवाचैवोर्वशी तत्र किं खिद्यसि शुभानने । देवानां कार्यसिद्ध्यर्थं मायारूपबलेन च । वर्णधर्मो यथा भूयात्करिष्ये पाकशासन

Transliteration

uvācaivorvaśī tatra kiṃ khidyasi śubhānane | devānāṃ kāryasiddhyarthaṃ māyārūpabalena ca | varṇadharmo yathā bhūyātkariṣye pākaśāsana

Translation

પછી ત્યાં ઉર્વશીએ કહ્યું—“હે શુભાનને, તું કેમ ખિન્ન છે? દેવોના કાર્યસિદ્ધિ માટે, માયા અને રૂપબળના પ્રભાવથી, હે પાકશાસન (ઇન્દ્ર), હું એવું કરીશ કે વર્ણધર્મ યથાવત્ સ્થાપિત થાય।”

Word by Word

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: वच् (to speak)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय

• उर्वशी: Urvaśī
• उर्वशी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उर्वशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषनाम

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (there)

• किम्: why; what
• किम्: Kriya-vishesana (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (interrogative particle: why/what)

• खिद्यसि: are you distressed
• खिद्यसि: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: खिद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: खिद् (to be distressed)

• शुभानने: O fair-faced one
• शुभानने: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुभ-आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; (O) beautiful-faced one

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• कार्यसिद्ध्यर्थम्: for accomplishing the task
• कार्यसिद्ध्यर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य-सिद्धि-अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; अर्थे (for the sake of)

• मायारूपबलेन: by the power of illusory form
• मायारूपबलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया-रूप-बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; (instrumental)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• वर्णधर्मः: the duty/order of varṇas
• वर्णधर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ण-धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यथा: so that; as
• यथा: Sambandha (Clause linker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/उपमानार्थ (as/so that)

• भूयात्: may be; may come to be
• भूयात्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: भू (to be)

• करिष्ये: I will do
• करिष्ये: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), आत्मनेपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: कृ (to do)

• पाकशासन: O Pākaśāsana (Indra)
• पाकशासन: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाक-शासन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; विशेषनाम (Indra)

Speaker

Urvaśī

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (Pākaśāsana)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Urvaśī, poised and commanding, addresses Indra with confidence; her gesture suggests assurance and strategic intent, while the court listens—her beauty is framed as a tool of divine policy rather than mere ornament.

Characters & Entities

• Urvaśī
• Indra (Pākaśāsana)
• Devas
• Varṇadharma
• Māyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is portrayed as a cosmic order that the devas actively protect; even extraordinary means (māyā/assumed forms) may be employed for restoring righteous stability.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is on the devas’ mission and the protection of varṇadharma within the Dharmāraṇya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse speaks of a divine undertaking to re-establish dharma.