Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

कामं दृष्ट्वा क्षयं यातं तत्र देवाप्सरोगणाः । भीता यथागतं सर्वे जग्मुश्चैव दिशो दश

Transliteration

kāmaṃ dṛṣṭvā kṣayaṃ yātaṃ tatra devāpsarogaṇāḥ | bhītā yathāgataṃ sarve jagmuścaiva diśo daśa

Translation

അവിടെ കാമൻ നശിച്ചതുകണ്ട് ദേവന്മാരുടെയും അപ്സരസ്സുകളുടെയും സംഘം ഭീതരായി; വന്നതുപോലെ തന്നെ എല്ലാവരും പത്തു ദിക്കുകളിലേക്കു ചിതറി പോയി।

Word by Word

• कामम्: Kāma (the god of desire)
• कामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive) — ‘having seen’

• क्षयम्: destruction, decay
• क्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• यातम्: gone to, reached
• यातम्: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object complement/कर्मसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकालिक कृदन्त (Past participle) — ‘gone/attained’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb) — ‘there’

• देवाप्सरोगणाः: groups of gods and apsarases
• देवाप्सरोगणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + अप्सरस् + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural; द्वन्द्वसमास (देवाः च अप्सरसः च) + गणाः

• भीताः: afraid
• भीताः: Karta (Subject attribute/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भीत (भि (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• यथागतम्: as they had come, in the same manner
• यथागतम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + गत (गम् (धातु)+क्त)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास — ‘as (they) had come’; क्रियाविशेषणभाव

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जग्मुः: went
• जग्मुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — Perfect, 3rd person, Plural

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction) — ‘and’

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle) — ‘indeed/just’

• दिशः: directions
• दिशः: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक विशेषण; (दिशः इति) स्त्रीलिङ्ग-द्वितीया-बहुवचनार्थे अव्ययवत् प्रयोग — numeral ‘ten’ qualifying ‘directions’

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator), by context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-context (episode-setting)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A scorched Kāma lies destroyed; devas and apsarases recoil in fear and scatter toward the ten directions under a sky charged with Śiva’s fiery tejas.

Characters & Entities

• Kāma
• Devas
• Apsarases

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When divine law asserts itself, temptation collapses; fear arises in those aligned with disruption rather than dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader episode is linked to Gaṅgā-sāgara within the Revā Khaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the dispersal of the divine retinue after Kāma’s destruction.