Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

मृगान्दृष्ट्वा ततो राजा आहारार्थमचिन्तयत् । हत्वैतेषु मृगं कंचिद्भक्षयामि यदृच्छया

Transliteration

mṛgāndṛṣṭvā tato rājā āhārārthamacintayat | hatvaiteṣu mṛgaṃ kaṃcidbhakṣayāmi yadṛcchayā

Translation

മാനുകളെ കണ്ട രാജാവ് ആഹാരാർത്ഥം മനസ്സിൽ ചിന്തിച്ചു—“ഇവയിൽ നിന്നൊരു മാൻ യദൃച്ഛയായി വധിച്ച് അതിന്റെ മാംസം ഭക്ഷിക്കാം।”

Word by Word

• मृगान्: deer
• मृगान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) — having seen

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• आहारार्थम्: for food (for the sake of eating)
• आहारार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहार (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/उद्देश्य-भावः: आहारस्य अर्थः = भोजन-हेतुः

• अचिन्तयत्: thought
• अचिन्तयत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्त् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Imperfect, 3rd person, Singular

• हत्वा: having killed
• हत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) — having killed

• एतेषु: among these
• एतेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Locative, Plural (among these)

• मृगम्: a deer
• मृगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कंचित्: some (one)
• कंचित्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चित-विशेषण — Masculine, Accusative, Singular (some)

• भक्षयामि: I will eat
• भक्षयामि: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Present, 1st person, Singular

• यदृच्छया: by chance
• यदृच्छया: Hetu/Upāya (Means/Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यदृच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Instrumental, Singular; अव्ययीभावार्थे: ‘by chance/accidentally’

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; specific speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-region (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages at Naimiṣāraṇya (standard frame; not explicit in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A weary king in a dense forest sights a herd of deer and, driven by hunger, resolves to kill one for food.

Characters & Entities

• rājā (king)
• mṛga (deer)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions driven by hunger and impulse can lead to grave unintended consequences; dharma demands awareness beyond immediate need.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to the Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred region; this verse itself does not name a tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the king’s intention.