Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

राघवाभ्यां विना सीतां जहार दश कन्धरः । मारीचस्याश्रमं गत्वा मृगरूपेण तेन च

Transliteration

rāghavābhyāṃ vinā sītāṃ jahāra daśa kandharaḥ | mārīcasyāśramaṃ gatvā mṛgarūpeṇa tena ca

Translation

രണ്ടു രാഘവന്മാരും ഇല്ലാത്തപ്പോൾ ദശകന്ധരൻ സീതയെ അപഹരിച്ചു. മാരീചന്റെ ആശ്രമത്തിലേക്ക് ചെന്നു, അവനോടൊപ്പം മൃഗരൂപം ധരിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• राघवाभ्याम्: without the two Rāghavas (Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa)
• राघवाभ्याम्: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), द्विवचन; सह/विना-योगे (instrumental with vinā)

• विना: without
• विना: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गार्थक-निपातः (preposition-like: ‘without’)

• सीताम्: Sītā
• सीताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सीता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• जहार: abducted, carried off
• जहार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्; सकर्मक

• दश: ten
• दश: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याविशेषणम्; पुल्लिङ्ग-प्रथमा-एकवचनस्य विशेषणम् (कन्धरः)

• कन्धरः: (the) ten-necked one (Rāvaṇa)
• कन्धरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘दशकन्धर’ = रावणः

• मारीचस्य: of Mārīca
• मारीचस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मारीच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• आश्रमम्: to the hermitage
• आश्रमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; गत्यर्थक-क्रियायाः कर्म

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वक्रिया (having gone)

• मृग-रूपेण: in the form of a deer
• मृग-रूपेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (मृगस्य रूपम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करणम् (means/form)

• तेन: with him/with that (one)
• तेन: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; सहकारक/सहयोग

• च: and
• च: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Brāhma/Brahmakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāvaṇa (Daśakandhara) seizes Sītā when she is without Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa; nearby, the deceptive deer-form plot is implied by Mārīca and the hermitage setting.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Lakṣmaṇa
• Sītā
• Rāvaṇa (Daśakandhara)
• Mārīca

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Desire and deception (kāma and māyā) create the conditions for downfall; vigilance and dharmic discernment protect the righteous.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is explicitly praised; the verse recounts an itihāsa episode used within Purāṇic teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative verse describing the strategy behind the abduction.