Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

एकमार्गगतो राजा चित्रसेनो महीपतिः । एकाकी स गतस्तत्र यत्र यत्र च ते मृगाः

Transliteration

ekamārgagato rājā citraseno mahīpatiḥ | ekākī sa gatastatra yatra yatra ca te mṛgāḥ

Translation

ഭൂമിപതി ചിത്രസേന രാജാവ് ഒരേയൊരു പാത സ്വീകരിച്ചു. ആ മൃഗങ്ങൾ എവിടെയെവിടെയോ പോയതുപോലെ അവൻ ഒറ്റയ്ക്കായി അവിടെയവിടെ ചെന്നു.

Word by Word

• eka-mārga-gataḥ: having gone by one path
• eka-mārga-gataḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka-mārga-gata (प्रातिपदिक; एक + मार्ग + गत)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (गत, √gam), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (one-path-gone)

• rājā: the king
• rājā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• citrasenaḥ: Citrasena
• citrasenaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citrasena (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम

• mahīpatiḥ: lord of the earth (king)
• mahīpatiḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī-pati (प्रातिपदिक; मही + पति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (lord of the earth)

• ekākī: alone
• ekākī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekākin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of saḥ)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• gataḥ: went/has gone
• gataḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gata (कृदन्त; √gam/गम् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle) पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि-प्रयोग (used predicatively)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• yatra: wherever
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्त-सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (repeated: wherever)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• te: those
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• mṛgāḥ: deer
• mṛgāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Citrasena alone on a narrow path, tracking the deer’s route; darkness and dense foliage press in, but his posture is resolute.

Characters & Entities

• Citrasena
• mṛgāḥ (deer)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pursuit of fleeting objects can isolate a person; solitude becomes the doorway to inner reflection and grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; it moves the king toward the divine lake described shortly after.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the king’s solitary pursuit.