Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

अन्धक उवाच । नाहं वै कामये कोशं न गजांश्च सुरेश्वर । स्वकीयं दर्शयस्वाद्य स्वर्गशृङ्गारभूषितम्

Transliteration

andhaka uvāca | nāhaṃ vai kāmaye kośaṃ na gajāṃśca sureśvara | svakīyaṃ darśayasvādya svargaśṛṅgārabhūṣitam

Translation

അന്ധകൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ സുരേശ്വരാ, എനിക്ക് നിന്റെ കോശവും വേണ്ട, നിന്റെ ആനകളും വേണ്ട. ഇന്ന് നിന്റെ സ്വന്തം വൈഭവം കാണിക്കൂ; ദിവ്യശൃംഗാരങ്ങളാൽ അലങ്കരിക്കപ്പെട്ട സ്വർഗ്ഗം എനിക്കു കാണിക്കൂ.

Word by Word

• andhakaḥ: Andhaka
• andhakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: andhaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधबोधक अव्यय (negation particle)

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

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/प्रत्ययबोधक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• kāmaye: I desire
• kāmaye: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kam (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• kośam: treasury, store
• kośam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kośa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• na: nor
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधबोधक अव्यय

• gajān: elephants
• gajān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• sureśvara: O lord of the gods
• sureśvara: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: surāṇām īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Genitive determinative)

• svakīyam: your own
• svakīyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svakīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• darśayasva: show
• darśayasva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; णिच्-प्रत्यय (causative: ‘cause to see/show’)

• adya: today, now
• adya: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• svargaśṛṅgārabhūṣitam: adorned with the splendor of heaven
• svargaśṛṅgārabhūṣitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svarga + śṛṅgāra + bhūṣita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समास: षष्ठी/तत्पुरुष (‘svargasya śṛṅgāraḥ’), ततः ‘śṛṅgāreṇa bhūṣitam’ (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष); कृदन्त: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) from √bhūṣ ‘to adorn’

Speaker

Andhaka

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Svarga/Amarāvatī (mythic) as contrast-device

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śakra (Indra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Andhaka refuses treasury and elephants, demanding to see Indra’s own Svarga—its ornamented grandeur—implying a test and a looming usurpation.

Characters & Entities

• Andhaka
• Indra (Sureśvara)
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Craving shifts from mere wealth to the spectacle of divine luxury—an image of desire’s escalation when unchecked by dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse focuses on Svarga’s adornment rather than an earthly pilgrimage site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.