Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

हस्त्यश्वरथसम्पूर्णां धनवाहनसंयुताम् । अलंकृतो गुणैः सर्वैरनपत्यो महीपतिः

Transliteration

hastyaśvarathasampūrṇāṃ dhanavāhanasaṃyutām | alaṃkṛto guṇaiḥ sarvairanapatyo mahīpatiḥ

Translation

त्या महीपतीकडे हत्ती-घोडे-रथांनी परिपूर्ण सेना होती आणि धन व वाहने यांचीही समृद्धी होती. सर्व गुणांनी अलंकृत असूनही तो राजा अपत्यहीन होता.

Word by Word

• हस्त्यश्वरथसम्पूर्णाम्: filled with elephants, horses, and chariots
• हस्त्यश्वरथसम्पूर्णाम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hasti (प्रातिपदिक) + aśva (प्रातिपदिक) + ratha (प्रातिपदिक) + sampūrṇa (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-विशेषण)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (समाहार/संबन्ध): हस्ति-अश्व-रथैः सम्पूर्णा; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• धनवाहनसंयुताम्: endowed with wealth and vehicles
• धनवाहनसंयुताम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक) + vāhana (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyuta (कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: धन-वाहनैः संयुता; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• अलंकृतः: adorned
• अलंकृतः: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: alaṃkṛ (धातु) → alaṃkṛta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• गुणैः: with virtues/qualities
• गुणैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन

• सर्वैः: all
• सर्वैः: Karaṇa-viśeṣaṇa (Instrument qualifier/करणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (गुणैः इति पदस्य)

• अनपत्यः: childless
• अनपत्यः: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-apatya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्-पूर्वक विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• महीपतिः: the lord of the earth, king
• महीपतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी): महीयाः पतिः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic martial tableau—elephants, horses, chariots, banners—then a quiet interior scene of the king alone, contemplative, indicating the absence of an heir despite abundance.

Characters & Entities

• Devapanna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly completeness—power, wealth, and virtue—can still leave a human longing unfulfilled, prompting recourse to dharma, vows, and tīrtha-seeking in Purāṇic narratives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it prepares the narrative cause that typically leads the king toward a particular Revā-region tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the condition ‘anapatya’ commonly becomes the impetus for vrata, dāna, and tīrtha-snana in subsequent verses.