Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

सर्वे ते तत्र सांनिध्यान्माण्डव्यस्य महात्मनः । संभ्रान्ता आगता ऊचुः किं मृतः किं नु जीवति

Transliteration

sarve te tatra sāṃnidhyānmāṇḍavyasya mahātmanaḥ | saṃbhrāntā āgatā ūcuḥ kiṃ mṛtaḥ kiṃ nu jīvati

Translation

അവർ എല്ലാവരും മഹാത്മാവായ മാണ്ഡവ്യന്റെ സാന്നിധ്യത്തിൽ ആശങ്കയോടെ എത്തി പറഞ്ഞു—“അദ്ദേഹം മരിച്ചോ, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഇനിയും ജീവിക്കുന്നോ?”

Word by Word

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘ते’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

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

• सांनिध्यात्: due to (their) proximity/presence
• सांनिध्यात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांनिध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• माण्डव्यस्य: of Māṇḍavya
• माण्डव्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माण्डव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled (one)
• महात्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; ‘माण्डव्यस्य’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• संभ्रान्ताः: agitated/astonished
• संभ्रान्ताः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सं-भ्रम् (धातु) → संभ्रान्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘ते’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• आगताः: having come
• आगताः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु) → आगत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘ते’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• ऊचुः: they said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• किम्: is (he) ...? / what?
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• मृतः: dead
• मृतः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृ (धातु) → मृत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (अस्ति) इति लुप्तं; ‘सः’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• किम्: or (is he) ...?
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• नु: indeed/then
• नु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नु (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न/अनुनयार्थक-निपात (interrogative particle)

• जीवति: he lives
• जीवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जीव् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Ṛṣis / Dvijas (the assembled sages, speaking among themselves)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages crowd near the stake, faces tense; some lean forward, palms joined, asking whether Māṇḍavya yet lives; Māṇḍavya appears faint but luminous.

Characters & Entities

• Māṇḍavya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True dharma begins with sensitive awareness of suffering and a compassionate urge to protect the righteous.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting belongs to the Revākhaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā sacred region), though this verse focuses on the saint Māṇḍavya rather than naming a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is narrative, describing the sages’ anxious inquiry.