Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

वणिगुवाच । अधन्यः कृतपुण्योऽहं निग्राह्यः परमेश्वर । तव प्रियमकुर्वाणः शोचिष्ये शाश्वतीः समाः

Transliteration

vaṇiguvāca | adhanyaḥ kṛtapuṇyo'haṃ nigrāhyaḥ parameśvara | tava priyamakurvāṇaḥ śociṣye śāśvatīḥ samāḥ

Translation

വണികൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ പരമേശ്വരാ! പുണ്യം ചെയ്തിട്ടും ഞാൻ ദുർഭാഗ്യവാനും ശിക്ഷാർഹനും ആകുന്നു. നിനക്കു പ്രിയമായത് ചെയ്യാൻ കഴിയാതെ ഞാൻ അനന്ത വർഷങ്ങൾ ദുഃഖിക്കും।

Word by Word

• vaṇik: the merchant
• vaṇik: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṇij (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन; ‘वणिक्’ (merchant)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• adhanyaḥ: unfortunate
• adhanyaḥ: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- + dhanya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नञ्-समास/निषेध-उपसर्ग ‘अ-’ (unfortunate)

• kṛtapuṇyaḥ: having performed merit
• kṛtapuṇyaḥ: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कृतं पुण्यं येन/यस्य (one who has done merit)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• nigrāhyaḥ: worthy of punishment / to be restrained
• nigrāhyaḥ: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ni + grah (धातु) + ya (ण्यत्/यत् कृदन्त)
• Form: कर्मणि साध्य/योग्य-वाचक कृदन्त (यत्/ण्यत्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘निग्राह्यः’ = to be restrained/punished

• parameśvara: O Supreme Lord
• parameśvara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; ‘परम-ईश्वर’

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• priyam: what is pleasing
• priyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘प्रियम्’ = what is pleasing

• akurvāṇaḥ: not doing
• akurvāṇaḥ: Karta (Subject-modifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- + kṛ (धातु) + śatṛ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्तरि कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-पूर्वक ‘अकुर्वाणः’ = not doing

• śociṣye: I will grieve
• śociṣye: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śuc (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल/future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• śāśvatīḥ: everlasting
• śāśvatīḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śāśvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; ‘शाश्वतीः’ = eternal/lasting

• samāḥ: years
• samāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; ‘समाः’ = years

Speaker

Vaṇik (merchant)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devamārga-liṅga (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājendra) within the frame; vocative ‘Bhārata’ appears in adjacent verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The merchant speaks with folded hands, eyes lowered, confessing unworthiness before Parameśvara at the riverbank liṅga.

Characters & Entities

• vaṇik (merchant)
• Parameśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Acknowledging fault before God and accepting correction is itself a doorway to grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Devamārga/Balākeśvara sacred setting, where repentance and divine response establish the site’s fame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the emphasis is on contrition and aligning one’s actions with what pleases Śiva.