Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अकृष्णः कृष्णतामम्ब कथं गच्छेद्धयोत्तमः । दासत्वं प्राप्स्यसे त्वं हि पणेनानेन सुव्रते

Transliteration

akṛṣṇaḥ kṛṣṇatāmamba kathaṃ gaccheddhayottamaḥ | dāsatvaṃ prāpsyase tvaṃ hi paṇenānena suvrate

Translation

‘അമ്മേ, കറുപ്പല്ലാത്ത ആ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ അശ്വം എങ്ങനെ കറുപ്പാകും? ഹേ സുവ്രതേ, ഈ പണത്താൽ നീ തീർച്ചയായും ദാസ്യത്തിലേക്കു വീഴും.’

Word by Word

• अकृष्णः: not black
• अकृष्णः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; नञ्-समास/उपसर्गपूर्वक निषेध (not black)

• कृष्णताम्: blackness
• कृष्णताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन

• अम्ब: O mother
• अम्ब: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/vocative) एकवचन

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक (interrogative adverb)

• गच्छेत्: could go/should become
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• हयोत्तमः: the best horse
• हयोत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हय-उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक); हय (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (हयानाम् उत्तमः)

• दासत्वम्: slavery/servitude
• दासत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दासत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन

• प्राप्स्यसे: you will obtain/come to
• प्राप्स्यसे: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√आप् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future); मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person) एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा एकवचन

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक/निश्चयार्थक (particle: indeed/for)

• पणेन: by the wager
• पणेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/instrumental) एकवचन

• अनेन: by this
• अनेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचन

• सुव्रते: O virtuous one
• सुव्रते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-व्रत (प्रातिपदिक); सु (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/vocative) एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (good-vowed)

Speaker

Kadrū’s sons (Nāgas), addressing Kadrū

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience within Revā Khaṇḍa frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Serpent-sons or relatives addressing Kadrū respectfully yet firmly; an imagined vision of the radiant white celestial horse in the background as a truth-symbol; warning of servitude.

Characters & Entities

• Kadrū
• Kadrūputras (Nāgas)
• Uccaiḥśravas (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reality cannot be bent by desire; wagering against truth leads to bondage and loss of freedom.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is directly praised in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an ethical warning within the story.