Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

कन्या सुदर्शना नाम रूपेणाप्रतिमा भुवि । तां ददस्व महाभाग वर्धते तव मन्दिरे

Transliteration

kanyā sudarśanā nāma rūpeṇāpratimā bhuvi | tāṃ dadasva mahābhāga vardhate tava mandire

Translation

സുദർശനാ എന്നൊരു കന്യകയുണ്ട്; രൂപത്തിൽ ഭൂമിയിൽ അവൾക്ക് ഉപമയില്ല. ഹേ മഹാഭാഗാ! അവളെ എനിക്കു ദാനം ചെയ്യുക; അവൾ നിങ്ങളുടെ കൊട്ടാരത്തിൽ തന്നെയാണ് വളരുന്നത്.

Word by Word

• kanyā: a maiden
• kanyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sudarśanā: beautiful to behold
• sudarśanā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su- (उपसर्ग) + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; गुणवाचक विशेषण

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (Naming particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable particle) used with names: ‘named/called’

• rūpeṇa: by beauty/appearance
• rūpeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• apratimā: unequalled
• apratimā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + pratimā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-प्रयोग: ‘without equal’

• bhuvi: on earth
• bhuvi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• tām: her
• tām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• dadasva: give (her)
• dadasva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• mahā-bhāga: O fortunate one
• mahā-bhāga: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास: ‘O greatly fortunate one’

• vardhate: she grows up / thrives
• vardhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛdh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

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

• mandire: in (your) palace/house
• mandire: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mandira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

Speaker

Vahni (Agni), in brāhmaṇa guise (deduced from subsequent verses)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-khaṇḍa (Narmadā sphere)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The brāhmaṇa describes Sudarśanā—peerless in beauty—requesting her hand; the palace backdrop hints she has been raised within royal protection.

Characters & Entities

• Sudarśanā
• Vahni (Agni)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Requests must be weighed through dharma; even a powerful petitioner frames the plea as a rightful, orderly act (marriage/kanyā-dāna) within social duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is narrative setup within the Revā-khaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā region) rather than a direct tirtha-glorification statement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly points to kanyā-dāna (the gifting of a bride in marriage) as a dharmic act, though no detailed rite is specified in this verse.