Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

कश्चिद्वनेचरो व्याधः शबरः सह भार्यया । दुर्भिक्षपीडितस्तत्र आमिषार्थं वनं गतः

Transliteration

kaścidvanecaro vyādhaḥ śabaraḥ saha bhāryayā | durbhikṣapīḍitastatra āmiṣārthaṃ vanaṃ gataḥ

Translation

ഒരു വനചാരിയായ വേട്ടക്കാരൻ ശബരൻ, ഭാര്യയോടുകൂടെ, ക്ഷാമപീഡിതനായിരുന്നു. ആഹാരത്തിനായി മാംസം തേടി അവൻ വനത്തിലേക്ക് പോയി.

Word by Word

• कश्चित्: someone; a certain
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचनम्; अनिश्चितार्थक-प्रयोग (indefinite: 'someone')

• वनेचरः: forest-dweller
• वनेचरः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन-चर (प्रातिपदिक; वन+चर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (वने चरति इति)

• व्याधः: hunter
• व्याधः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचनम्

• शबरः: Śabara (tribal man)
• शबरः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शबर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचनम्

• सह: with
• सह: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, सहार्थक-उपपद (preposition-like: 'with')

• भार्यया: with (his) wife
• भार्यया: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, तृतीया (करण/सह), एकवचनम्

• दुर्भिक्षपीडितः: afflicted by famine
• दुर्भिक्षपीडितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्भिक्ष-पीडित (प्रातिपदिक; दुर्भिक्ष+पीडित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (पीड् धातोः), तत्पुरुषः (दुर्भिक्षेण पीडितः)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण

• आमिषार्थम्: for the sake of meat
• आमिषार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आमिष-अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; आमिष+अर्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया (प्रयोजन/उद्देश्य), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (आमिषस्य अर्थः/प्रयोजनम्)

• वनम्: to the forest
• वनम्: Karma (Goal/कर्म-गन्तव्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया (कर्म/गन्तव्य), एकवचनम्

• गतः: went
• गतः: Kriya (Motion/गमन-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकालिक), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devaśilā (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: the king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Śabara hunter with bow and simple forest attire walks with his wife through a parched forest during famine; their faces show worry and fatigue as they search for food.

Characters & Entities

• Śabara
• hunter
• wife

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even worldly distress can become the doorway by which a person is led toward a sacred place and dharmic transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is moving toward Śūlabheda-tīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā sacred landscape).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed here; the verse sets the narrative cause (famine and the search for food).