Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

आत्मदुःखात्परं दुःखं न जानासि कुलाधमे । तेन वाक्येन घोरेण शाण्डिली विमनाभवत्

Transliteration

ātmaduḥkhātparaṃ duḥkhaṃ na jānāsi kulādhame | tena vākyena ghoreṇa śāṇḍilī vimanābhavat

Translation

ഹേ കുലാധമാ! നിന്റെ സ്വന്തം ദുഃഖത്തേക്കാൾ വലിയ ദുഃഖം നീ അറിയുന്നില്ല. ആ ഭീകരവചനങ്ങളാൽ ശാണ്ഡിലീ മനസ്സിൽ വിഷാദപ്പെട്ടു.

Word by Word

• आत्मदुःखात्: from one’s own sorrow
• आत्मदुःखात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मदुःख (प्रातिपदिक; आत्मन् + दुःख)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आत्मनः दुःखम्)

• परम्: greater
• परम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• दुःखम्: sorrow
• दुःखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• जानासि: you know
• जानासि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• कुलाधमे: O lowest of the family
• कुलाधमे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुलाधम (प्रातिपदिक; कुल + अधम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कुलस्य अधमः)

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• वाक्येन: by the statement
• वाक्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• घोरेण: terrible
• घोरेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वाक्येन)

• शाण्डिली: Śāṇḍilī
• शाण्डिली: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाण्डिली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• विमना: downcast
• विमना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (शाण्डिली)

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (continuing the account; the rebuke is attributed to the sages’ speech in context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha milieu (contextual)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Interior of an āśrama-gṛha: a speaker rebukes a man as ‘kulādhama’; Śāṇḍilī’s face falls, shoulders droop, eyes lowered—an emotional turning point before a confrontation.

Characters & Entities

• Śāṇḍilī
• Ṛṣis (implied source of the harsh words)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Words have power: harsh speech can wound deeply; the scene also highlights how attachment and fear amplify suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in this verse; it is a narrative reaction within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse describes an emotional consequence of speech.