Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

एकदा क्रीडता तेन हारितं द्यूतमद्भुतम् । कितवैर्मर्द्यमानो हि तदा नोवाच किञ्चन

Transliteration

ekadā krīḍatā tena hāritaṃ dyūtamadbhutam | kitavairmardyamāno hi tadā novāca kiñcana

Translation

ഒരിക്കൽ അവൻ കളിക്കുമ്പോൾ അത്ഭുതമായ ചൂതാട്ടത്തിൽ വലിയ തോൽവി സംഭവിച്ചു। ചൂതന്മാർ അടിച്ചമർത്തിയിട്ടും അപ്പോൾ അവൻ ഒന്നും പറഞ്ഞില്ല।

Word by Word

• ekadā: once
• ekadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ekadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — Indeclinable adverb (once)

• krīḍatā: while (he was) playing
• krīḍatā: Karana (Instrument/Agent circumstance/करण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: krīḍ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Present participle, Instrumental singular (while playing/by one playing)

• tena: by him
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम — Instrumental singular (by him)

• hāritam: lost
• hāritam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hṛ (धातु)
• Form: हृ-धातोः णिच् (हारयति) कर्मणि क्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘caused to be taken away/lost’ (lost)

• dyūtam: gambling (stake/game)
• dyūtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dyūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular (gambling game/stake)

• adbhutam: wonderful, strange
• adbhutam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adbhuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण — Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular (wonderful/strange)

• kitavaiḥ: by gamblers
• kitavaiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kitava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental plural (by gamblers)

• mardyamānaḥ: being beaten
• mardyamānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mṛd (धातु)
• Form: मृद्-धातोः कर्मणि शानच् (वर्तमानकृदन्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Present passive participle (being beaten/pressed)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चय/हेतौ) — Particle (indeed)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — Indeclinable adverb (then)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध) — Negation particle (not)

• uvāca: spoke
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd singular (said/spoke)

• kiñcana: anything
• kiñcana: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kiñcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; अनिश्चित/निषेधसह ‘anything’ — Neuter, Accusative, Singular (anything)

Speaker

Lomaśa (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa (unnamed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tense gambling den: dice scattered, the sinner bruised and cornered by cheats; his mouth closed in stunned silence, foreshadowing a future redirection of life.

Characters & Entities

• Lomaśa
• Kitava (gamblers/cheats)
• Kedāra (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gambling leads to loss and humiliation; Purāṇic narratives use such crises as turning points toward dharma and sacred refuge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedārakhaṇḍa frame points toward Kedāra and its Śiva-temple as the forthcoming refuge.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is narrative, describing the immediate fallout of gambling.