Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

गवाक्षाधिष्ठितोऽपश्यं वसंते मुनिकन्यकाम् । प्रवाति दक्षिणे वायौ मदनाग्निप्रदीपितः

Transliteration

gavākṣādhiṣṭhito'paśyaṃ vasaṃte munikanyakām | pravāti dakṣiṇe vāyau madanāgnipradīpitaḥ

Translation

ವಸಂತಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಗವಾಕ್ಷದ ಬಳಿ ನಿಂತು ನಾನು ಒಬ್ಬ ಮುನಿಕನ್ಯೆಯನ್ನು ಕಂಡೆ. ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಗಾಳಿ ಬೀಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಂತೆ ನನ್ನೊಳಗೆ ಮದನಾಗ್ನಿ ಪ್ರಜ್ವಲಿಸಿತು.

Word by Word

• gavākṣe: at/in the window
• gavākṣe: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gavākṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• adhiṣṭhitaḥ: stationed/standing
• adhiṣṭhitaḥ: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhi-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (aham)

• apaśyam: I saw
• apaśyam: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paś (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• vasante: in spring
• vasante: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasanta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• muni-kanyakām: a sage’s daughter
• muni-kanyakām: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: मुनेः कन्या)

• pravāti: blows
• pravāti: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; प्र-उपसर्ग

• dakṣiṇe: southern
• dakṣiṇe: Adhikaraṇa-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण (vāyau)

• vāyau: in the wind (as it blows)
• vāyau: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• madana-agni-pradīpitaḥ: kindled by the fire of love
• madana-agni-pradīpitaḥ: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madana (प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक) + pradīpita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √dīp with pra)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (vāyuḥ implied); समासः—तत्पुरुष (मदनाग्निना प्रदीपितः = kindled by the fire of love)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced—Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kailāsa (implied)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: From a latticed window (gavākṣa), the narrator glimpses a muni’s daughter in spring; southern breeze stirs garments and blossoms; an inner flame of desire is suggested through subtle red-gold aura around the observer.

Characters & Entities

• Madana (Kāma)
• Muni-kanyā (sage’s daughter)
• Dakṣiṇa-vāyu (southern breeze)
• Vasanta (spring)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sense-contact, aided by season and atmosphere, can ignite desire; dharma calls for alertness and restraint at its first stirring.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in this verse; it describes a scene within the broader sacred landscape narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse is descriptive, highlighting the psychology of temptation.