Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

किन्नरा ऊचुः । रामनाथ भवारण्ये व्याधिव्याघ्रभयानके । त्वामंतरेण नास्माकं पदवीदर्शको भवेत्

Transliteration

kinnarā ūcuḥ | rāmanātha bhavāraṇye vyādhivyāghrabhayānake | tvāmaṃtareṇa nāsmākaṃ padavīdarśako bhavet

Translation

किन्नर म्हणाले—हे रामनाथ! या भव-अरण्यात, रोगरूपी वाघाच्या भयाने भरलेल्या ठिकाणी, तुझ्यावाचून आम्हाला मार्ग दाखवणारा कोणी होऊ शकत नाही.

Word by Word

• किन्नराः: the Kinnaras
• किन्नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किन्नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• रामनाथ: O Rāmanātha
• रामनाथ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• भवारण्ये: in the forest of worldly existence
• भवारण्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव + अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• व्याधिव्याघ्रभयानके: terrifying with the tigers of disease
• व्याधिव्याघ्रभयानके: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्याधि + व्याघ्र + भयानक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (भवारण्ये)

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अन्तरेण: without
• अन्तरेण: Vinartha (Without/विना)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्तरेण (अव्यय)
• Form: विना-अर्थक-अव्यय (indeclinable: 'without')

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• अस्माकम्: of us/our
• अस्माकम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• पदवीदर्शकः: guide (one who shows the path)
• पदवीदर्शकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पदवी + दर्शक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would be; could be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative/Potential), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Kinnaras

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmanātha at Setu

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rāmanātha (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kinnaras, half-celestial beings, stand at the edge of a dark symbolic forest; a striped ‘tiger of disease’ lurks; a radiant path opens toward the seaside Rāmanātha shrine, indicating the Lord as the way-shower.

Characters & Entities

• Kinnaras
• Rāmanātha (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Without divine guidance, beings cannot find the liberating path; the Lord is the true ‘path-revealer’ through fear and suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rāmanātha at Setu (Rāmeśvaram), invoked as the guide out of the ‘forest’ of saṃsāra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the verse emphasizes dependence on the Lord for guidance (guru-tattva/īśvara-anugraha).