Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

अर्द्धत्रयोदशे वर्षे पंचवट्यामुवास ह । ततो विरूपयामास शूर्पणखां निशाचरीम् । वने विचरतरतस्य जानकीसहितस्य च

Transliteration

arddhatrayodaśe varṣe paṃcavaṭyāmuvāsa ha | tato virūpayāmāsa śūrpaṇakhāṃ niśācarīm | vane vicarataratasya jānakīsahitasya ca

Translation

പതിമൂന്ന് വർഷവും അരവർഷവും കഴിഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ അദ്ദേഹം പഞ്ചവടിയിൽ വസിച്ചു. തുടർന്ന് ജാനകിയോടൊപ്പം വനത്തിൽ സഞ്ചരിക്കുമ്പോൾ നിശാചരിയായ ശൂർപ്പണഖയെ വിരൂപമാക്കി.

Word by Word

• अर्द्धत्रयोदशे: in the half of the thirteenth (year)
• अर्द्धत्रयोदशे: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्द्ध-त्रयोदश (प्रातिपदिक; अर्द्ध + त्रयोदश)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी, एकवचन; संख्याविशेषणम् (वर्षे); अर्थः ‘त्रयोदशस्य अर्द्धे’ (= साढे-बारह/half of thirteen)

• वर्षे: in the year
• वर्षे: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; कालाधिकरणम्

• पञ्चवट्याम्: at Pañcavaṭī
• पञ्चवट्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चवटी (प्रातिपदिक; पञ्च + वटी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरणम् (place)

• उवास: dwelt/stayed
• उवास: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ह: indeed/it is said
• ह: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/it is said)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• विरूपयामास: disfigured
• विरूपयामास: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-रूपय् (धातु; नामधातु/णिजन्त from रूप)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिजन्त-भावः ‘विरूपयति’ (to disfigure)

• शूर्पणखाम्: Śūrpaṇakhā
• शूर्पणखाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूर्पणखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म

• निशाचरीम्: a night-roamer (rākṣasī)
• निशाचरीम्: Karma (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निशाचरिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (शूर्पणखाम्)

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरणम्

• विचरतः: of (him) roaming
• विचरतः: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-चर् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present participle) ‘विचरत्’; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (of the one who was roaming)

• रतस्य: engaged/delighting
• रतस्य: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (विचरतः)

• जानकीसहितस्य: of (him) accompanied by Jānakī
• जानकीसहितस्य: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जानकी-सहित (प्रातिपदिक; जानकी + सहित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (विचरतः); तृतीया-तत्पुरुषार्थः ‘जानक्या सहितः’

• च: and
• च: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (and)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcavaṭī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pañcavaṭī hermitage near the Godāvarī: Rāma and Sītā moving through the forest; Śūrpaṇakhā approaches; the moment of her disfigurement is shown with restrained violence, emphasizing moral boundary and impending narrative turning point.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcavaṭī
• Śūrpaṇakhā
• Jānakī (Sītā)
• Rāma (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked desire and aggression lead to ruin; dharma in the forest requires vigilance and protection of purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pañcavaṭī is highlighted as a sacred residence-site in Rāma’s forest sojourn, central to the later events of the epic.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.