Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

आख्या मम सुशीलेति मां च विद्याधरोऽहरत् । मध्येमार्गं निशीथेथ तदोप मलयाचलम्

Transliteration

ākhyā mama suśīleti māṃ ca vidyādharo'harat | madhyemārgaṃ niśīthetha tadopa malayācalam

Translation

എന്റെ പേര് ‘സുശീലാ’; ഒരു വിദ്യാധരൻ എന്നെ അപഹരിച്ചു കൊണ്ടുപോയി. പിന്നെ യാത്രാമധ്യേ, അർദ്ധരാത്രിയിൽ, അവൻ മലയാചലത്തിലെത്തി.

Word by Word

• आख्या: (my) name
• आख्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मम: of me / my
• मम: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• सुशीला: Suśīlā (good-natured; name)
• सुशीला: Predicate/Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-शील (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—सु + शीला (उपसर्गपूर्वक-कर्मधारय)

• इति: thus (so called)
• इति: Discourse marker (Avyaya/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-शब्दः; उद्धरण/निदर्शनार्थक-अव्यय

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Connector (Avyaya/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• विद्याधरः: a Vidyādhara
• विद्याधरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्या-धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन; समासः—विद्यां धरतीति (उपपद-तत्पुरुष)

• अहरत्: carried off / abducted
• अहरत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतन-भूत), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः ‘मध्ये’ = in the midst

• मार्गम्: the path/way
• मार्गम्: Adhikarana/Path (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (गत्यर्थे अधिकरणवत्)

• निशीथे: at midnight
• निशीथे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशीथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse marker (Avyaya/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Temporal adjunct (Avyaya/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• उप: near, towards
• उप: Preverb/Particle (Upasarga/उपसर्ग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उप (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: उपसर्ग/अव्यय; समीपार्थक

• मलयाचलम्: Mount Malaya
• मलयाचलम्: Karma/Goal (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मलय-अचल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—मलयः नाम अचलः (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्राय)

Speaker

Kalāvatī (narrating her remembrance)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Malayācala (Malaya mountain)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Same frame listener(s)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Vidyādhara carries Suśīlā through the night sky; below lies a dark, fragrant mountain forest of Malaya; moonlight, clouds, and distant peaks create a suspenseful mid-journey pause.

Characters & Entities

• Suśīlā
• Vidyādhara
• Malaya mountain (Malayācala)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic narrative frames life-events as karmically linked, later made intelligible through sacred revelation associated with tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate verse is narrative; within the adhyāya, the context is Jñānavāpī in Kāśī as the revealer of such memories.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse recounts an abduction and journey.