Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

त्वं जितः कार्तवीर्येण रैणुकेयेन सोऽपि च । स रामो रामभद्रेण तस्य संख्ये कथं जयः

Transliteration

tvaṃ jitaḥ kārtavīryeṇa raiṇukeyena so'pi ca | sa rāmo rāmabhadreṇa tasya saṃkhye kathaṃ jayaḥ

Translation

നീ കാർത്തവീര്യനാൽ ജയിക്കപ്പെട്ടു; അവനും റേണുകേയ രാമൻ (ജാമദഗ്ന്യൻ) നാൽ പരാജിതനായി. ആ രാമനും രാമഭദ്രനാൽ ജയിക്കപ്പെട്ടു; അപ്പോൾ യുദ്ധത്തിൽ അവന്റെ ജയം എങ്ങനെ ഉറപ്പാകും?

Word by Word

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, उत्तमपुरुषार्थे (2nd person), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• जितः: defeated
• जितः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे कर्तरि-सम्बन्धः (you are defeated)

• कार्तवीर्येण: by Kārtavīrya
• कार्तवीर्येण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्तवीर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• रैणुकेयेन: by Rāiṇukeya (Paraśurāma)
• रैणुकेयेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रैणुकेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थे (also/even)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सः: that (he)
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रामः: Rāma
• रामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रामभद्रेण: by Rāmabhadra
• रामभद्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रामभद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (रामः च भद्रः च → रामभद्रः)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• संख्ये: in battle
• संख्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; अर्थे ‘युद्धे/समरे’

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• जयः: victory
• जयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (speaker not explicit in this verse; appears as argumentative speech within the episode)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) region context

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rāvaṇa (as interlocutor within the narrative frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A courtly debate scene: a challenger cites a chain of legendary defeats—Kārtavīrya, Paraśurāma, and Rāma—using it as a rhetorical spear to puncture certainty of victory.

Characters & Entities

• Kārtavīrya Arjuna
• Paraśurāma (Raiṇukeya)
• Rāmabhadra
• Rāma (as referenced in chain of defeats)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly power is unstable; pride in invincibility is misplaced because even great heroes face reversal under time and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the verse is part of an epic-historical reflection embedded in Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a rhetorical argument rather than a ritual statement.