Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

प्रयातु शक्रो मा गर्वमिन्द्रत्वं कस्य सुस्थिरम् । यूयं च मा स्मयं यात सन्ति रूपान्विताः स्त्रियः

Transliteration

prayātu śakro mā garvamindratvaṃ kasya susthiram | yūyaṃ ca mā smayaṃ yāta santi rūpānvitāḥ striyaḥ

Translation

ശക്രൻ (ഇന്ദ്രൻ) പോകട്ടെ—അവൻ ഗർവിക്കരുത്; ആരുടെ ‘ഇന്ദ്രത്വം’ എന്നും സ്ഥിരം? നിങ്ങളും വ്യർഥാഭിമാനത്തിലാകരുത്; സൗന്ദര്യമുള്ള സ്ത്രീകൾ അനേകം ഉണ്ട്.

Word by Word

• प्रयातु: let (him) depart
• प्रयातु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-या (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• मा: do not
• मा: Pratiṣedha (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (prohibitive particle)

• गर्वम्: pride
• गर्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• इन्द्रत्वम्: Indra-hood, sovereignty of Indra
• इन्द्रत्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्रत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• कस्य: of whom; for whom
• कस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine/Pronoun), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• सुस्थिरम्: very stable, permanent
• सुस्थिरम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-स्थिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier)

• यूयम्: you (all)
• यूयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुषार्थे (2nd person pronoun), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• मा: do not
• मा: Pratiṣedha (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (prohibitive particle)

• स्मयम्: pride, conceit
• स्मयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• यात: go; proceed
• यात: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन (Plural); परस्मैपद

• सन्ति: there are
• सन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural); परस्मैपद

• रूपान्विताः: endowed with beauty
• रूपान्विताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रूप + अन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीह्यर्थे तत्पुरुषसमास (rūpa-anvita = endowed with beauty); पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग (here agrees with स्त्रियः), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• स्त्रियः: women
• स्त्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Unspecified (Revā-khaṇḍa narrative voice; admonition against pride)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-pradeśa (contextual)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-like figure admonishes celestial beings: Indra’s sovereignty is unstable; do not be vain of beauty—countless beautiful women exist. The tone is didactic, restraining arrogance.

Characters & Entities

• Śakra
• Indra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly rank and beauty are unstable; pride and vanity are therefore spiritually unwise.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; this is an ethical-spiritual admonition in the Revā-khaṇḍa flow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is moral counsel aligned with purāṇic dharma (humility, restraint).