Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

हा भ्रातर्मातः पुत्रेति कष्टेषु न वदन्ति ये । स्मरन्ति मां महेशानमथवा पुष्करेक्षणम्

Transliteration

hā bhrātarmātaḥ putreti kaṣṭeṣu na vadanti ye | smaranti māṃ maheśānamathavā puṣkarekṣaṇam

Translation

കഷ്ടകാലത്ത് ‘അയ്യോ സഹോദരാ! അയ്യോ അമ്മേ! അയ്യോ പുത്രാ!’ എന്നു വിലപിക്കാതെ, എന്നെ—മഹേശനെ—അഥവാ പദ്മനയനനായ പ്രഭുവിനെ സ്മരിക്കുന്നവർ…

Word by Word

• हा: alas!
• हा: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हा (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बोधन-निपातः (vocative interjection)

• भ्रातः: O brother
• भ्रातः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• मातः: O mother
• मातः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• पुत्र: O son
• पुत्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• कष्टेषु: in troubles
• कष्टेषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7/अधिकरण), बहुवचन

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

• वदन्ति: they say
• वदन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), बहुवचन (सम्बन्धक-यः/ये)

• स्मरन्ति: they remember
• स्मरन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: एकवचन, द्वितीया (2/कर्म)

• महेशानम्: Mahesha (Śiva)
• महेशानम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/कर्म), एकवचन

• अथवा: or
• अथवा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• पुष्करेक्षणम्: the lotus-eyed one
• पुष्करेक्षणम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर + ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पुष्करस्य ईक्षणम्)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely leading into Śiva’s response)

Tirtha Mahatmya

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

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A suffering devotee in austerity or hardship, resisting cries to family, instead holding inner remembrance of Śiva (with crescent moon, trident) or Viṣṇu (lotus-eyed), with a subtle aura of protection forming around him.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśa (Śiva)
• Puṣkarekṣaṇa (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In crisis, turn from worldly lament to divine remembrance; bhakti stabilizes the mind and transforms suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not explicitly; it is a general teaching within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Smaraṇa (remembrance) of Maheśa or the lotus-eyed Lord as a practical spiritual discipline in distress.