Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

व्याधस्यैव महाकूटे पतन्ति च यथा मृगाः । कालस्पृष्टस्तथा कृष्णे पतितश्च नराधिप

Transliteration

vyādhasyaiva mahākūṭe patanti ca yathā mṛgāḥ | kālaspṛṣṭastathā kṛṣṇe patitaśca narādhipa

Translation

ಹೇ ನರಾಧಿಪ! ಹೇಗೆ ಮೃಗಗಳು ಬೇಟೆಗಾರನ ಮಹಾಸೆರೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬೀಳುತ್ತವೋ, ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಕಾಲಸ್ಪರ್ಶದಿಂದ ಅವನು ಕೃಷ್ಣನ ಯುಕ್ತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪತನಗೊಂಡನು.

Word by Word

• व्याधस्य: of the hunter
• व्याधस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Genitive singular

• एव: indeed / just
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• महाकूटे: in a great snare/trap (pitfall)
• महाकूटे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाकूट (प्रातिपदिक; महा + कूट)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• पतन्ति: fall
• पतन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद; Present indicative 3rd pl.

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

• यथा: as
• यथा: Upamana (Comparison)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक-अव्यय (comparative ‘as/like’)

• मृगाः: deer
• मृगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Nominative plural

• कालस्पृष्टः: touched by fate (time)
• कालस्पृष्टः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कालस्पृष्ट (प्रातिपदिक; काल + स्पृष्ट[क्त])
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (स्पृष्ट) समासान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘touched by time/fate’

• तथा: so / likewise
• तथा: Upamana (Comparison)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तुल्यतावाचक-अव्यय (so/thus)

• कृष्णे: in/with respect to Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• पतितः: fell / fallen
• पतितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पत् (धातु) → पतित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘fallen’

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

• नराधिप: O king
• नराधिप: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नराधिप (प्रातिपदिक; नर + अधिप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Vocative singular

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced: Āvantya Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: narādhipa (explicitly addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: the Dānava is compared to deer falling into a hunter’s great trap; visually, the forest becomes a metaphorical snare, while an unseen Kṛṣṇa’s design is implied as the true net of fate.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse warns how beings, driven by kāla and desire, can be trapped like prey; it encourages prudence and dharmic restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revā-kṣetra (Narmadā region) as the narrative stage for dharma-teaching through vivid analogies.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual instruction is given here.