Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

अष्टम्यां रावणो मायामैथिलीं हतवान्कुधीः । शोकावेगात्तदा रामश्चक्रे सैन्यावधारणम्

Transliteration

aṣṭamyāṃ rāvaṇo māyāmaithilīṃ hatavānkudhīḥ | śokāvegāttadā rāmaścakre sainyāvadhāraṇam

Translation

അഷ്ടമി തിഥിദിനം ദുഷ്ടബുദ്ധിയായ രാവണൻ മായാമൈഥിലിയെ (മായാസീതയെ) വധിച്ചു. അപ്പോൾ ശോകവേഗം കൊണ്ടു രാമൻ സൈന്യത്തെ ക്രമപ്പെടുത്തി ഉറപ്പിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• अष्टम्याम्: on the eighth (lunar day)
• अष्टम्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular); तिथि-नाम

• रावणः: Rāvaṇa
• रावणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• माया: illusory
• माया: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (illusory)

• मैथिलीम्: Maithilī (Sītā)
• मैथिलीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैथिली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• हतवान्: killed/struck down
• हतवान्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु) + क्तवतु (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past active participle used as finite), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कुधीः: the evil-minded one
• कुधीः: Karta (Apposition to subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुधी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); निन्दार्थक उपाधि

• शोकावेगात्: from/owing to the surge of grief
• शोकावेगात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोक (प्रातिपदिक) + वेग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular); हेतौ पञ्चमी

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• रामः: Rāma
• रामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• चक्रे: made/undertook
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• सैन्यावधारणम्: the arrangement/mustering of the army
• सैन्यावधारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अवधारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced; not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāvaṇa strikes down the illusory Sītā on aṣṭamī; Rāma, overwhelmed by grief, then steadies the army—tears turning into command.

Characters & Entities

• Rāvaṇa
• Sītā (Maithilī)
• Māyā-Sītā
• Rāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Grief is natural, yet dharma demands composure: Rāma channels sorrow into disciplined protection of the righteous cause.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No pilgrimage site is specified; the verse is an ethical-narrative moment within the war chronology.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse focuses on the moral psychology of leadership and the dating of events by tithi.