Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

पौलस्त्यान्वयसंजातो देवदानवदर्पहा । प्रार्थयामि महाभाग सुतां त्वं दातुमर्हसि

Transliteration

paulastyānvayasaṃjāto devadānavadarpahā | prārthayāmi mahābhāga sutāṃ tvaṃ dātumarhasi

Translation

ഞാൻ പൗലസ്ത്യ വംശജനായി, ദേവ-ദാനവരുടെ ദർപ്പം നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നവൻ. ഹേ മഹാഭാഗാ! അപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നു—നിന്റെ പുത്രിയെ എനിക്കു ദാനം ചെയ്യുക।

Word by Word

• paulastya-anvaya-saṃjātaḥ: born in Paulastya’s lineage
• paulastya-anvaya-saṃjātaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paulastya (प्रातिपदिक) + anvaya (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃjāta (जन् धातु से क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘पौलस्त्यस्य अन्वये संजातः’ = born in the lineage of Paulastya

• deva-dānava-darpa-hā: slayer of the pride of gods and demons
• deva-dānava-darpa-hā: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + dānava (प्रातिपदिक) + darpa (प्रातिपदिक) + han (धातु; ‘हन्’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘देवदानवानां दर्पं हन्ति’ = destroyer of the pride of gods and dānavas

• prārthayāmi: I request, I beg
• prārthayāmi: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-arth (धातु; प्रार्थयति)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• mahā-bhāga: O fortunate one
• mahā-bhāga: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘महान् भागः यस्य’ (as address)

• sutām: daughter
• sutām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sutā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• dātum: to give
• dātum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive): ‘to give’

• arhasi: you ought/deserve
• arhasi: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Rāvaṇa

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (implied audience of the kathā)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāvaṇa introduces himself with grand lineage claims, hands folded yet posture assertive; Maya listens, weighing the proposal; court witnesses react with awe and caution.

Characters & Entities

• Rāvaṇa
• Paulastya
• Deva
• Dānava
• Maya (addressed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narratives show how lineage, reputation, and desire intersect—yet true worth is ultimately measured by alignment with dharma, not boastful claims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse focuses on a proposal within the broader Revā Khaṇḍa storyline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a request for marriage (kanyādāna implied but not ritually described).