Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

विषमे वर्ततेऽद्यापि शकुन्तमृगजातिषु । तस्यास्थिशेषं राजेन्द्र तस्मिंस्तीर्थे भविष्यति

Transliteration

viṣame vartate'dyāpi śakuntamṛgajātiṣu | tasyāsthiśeṣaṃ rājendra tasmiṃstīrthe bhaviṣyati

Translation

今なお彼は鳥や獣の生にあって危うき境涯にある。されど諸王の主よ、彼の身に残る骨はその聖なる渡し場に現れよう。

Word by Word

• विषमे: in a difficult/uneven (state)
• विषमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; विशेषण (अधिकरणे)

• वर्तते: remains / exists
• वर्तते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृत् (वर्त्) धातु
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• अद्यापि: even today / still
• अद्यापि: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य + अपि (अव्यय-द्वय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'even today/still')

• शकुन्त-मृग-जातिषु: among the species of birds and deer
• शकुन्त-मृग-जातिषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकुन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + मृग (प्रातिपदिक) + जाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (शकुन्तानां मृगाणां च जातिषु / शकुन्तमृग-सम्बद्ध-जातिषु)

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अस्थि-शेषम्: the remaining bone(s) / bone-remnant
• अस्थि-शेषम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक) + शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अस्थ्नः शेषम्)

• राजेन्द्र: O lord of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजेन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तीर्थे: at the sacred place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू धातु
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Kanyā (the maiden)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hanūmanteśvara-tīrtha (Narmadā)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark contrast: shadowy silhouettes of birds and beasts in a wild landscape symbolize perilous rebirth, while a bright Narmadā ghat with priests searching/finding bone-remnants glows as hope.

Characters & Entities

• tīrtha
• Revā/Narmadā (implied by section context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions shape rebirth; yet tīrthas remain places where restoration and right rites can be undertaken for the departed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha connected with the Revā/Narmadā tradition is indicated, later described with identifiable landmarks in the same passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied: collecting remains for proper disposal or rites; explicit prescriptions appear in subsequent verses.