Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

व्याघ्रो मायामयो यस्ते शरैरक्षतविग्रहः । धीरतां द्रष्टुकामस्ते पत्नीं याचितवानहम्

Transliteration

vyāghro māyāmayo yaste śarairakṣatavigrahaḥ | dhīratāṃ draṣṭukāmaste patnīṃ yācitavānaham

Translation

ಆ ಹುಲಿ ಮಾಯೆಯಿಂದ ನಿರ್ಮಿತವಾದದ್ದು; ನಿನ್ನ ಬಾಣಗಳಿಂದಲೂ ಅದರ ದೇಹ ಅಕ್ಷತವಾಗಿಯೇ ಉಳಿಯಿತು. ನಿನ್ನ ಧೈರ್ಯವನ್ನು ನೋಡಬೇಕೆಂದು ನಾನು ನಿನ್ನ ಪತ್ನಿಯನ್ನು ಯಾಚಿಸಿದೆನು.

Word by Word

• व्याघ्रः: the tiger
• व्याघ्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मायामयः: made of illusion
• मायामयः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माया + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः ‘मायया मयः/मायामयः’ (made of illusion)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject of relative clause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Relative pronoun)

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive)

• शरैः: by arrows
• शरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Instrumental plural)

• अक्षत: unwounded
• अक्षत: Sambandha (Qualifier within compound)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (in compound; ‘uninjured’)

• विग्रहः: body/form
• विग्रहः: Karta (Subject; ‘body/form’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• धीरताम्: steadfastness/courage
• धीरताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धीरता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative)

• द्रष्टुकामः: desiring to see
• द्रष्टुकामः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective of speaker)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्रष्टु (दृश्-धातोः तुमुन्) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तुमुन्-तत्पुरुषः (draṣṭum kāmaḥ)

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive)

• पत्नीम्: wife
• पत्नीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• याचितवान्: (I) requested
• याचितवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: याच् (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (Perfect participle/agentive past), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन; कर्तरि ‘having requested’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The deity explains that the tiger was an illusory construct, immune to arrows, created to test the king’s courage; the shocking request for the wife is framed as a deliberate dharma-test rather than cruelty.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• vyāghra (illusory tiger)
• māyā
• king (implied listener)
• patnī (wife)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly threats may be māyā; dharma is proven by unwavering courage and selfless commitment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is explicitly mentioned in this verse; the emphasis is on ethical testing and Śiva’s līlā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse narrates a test of character rather than a ritual command.