Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

धर्मपत्न्यो दशैवैता दाक्षायण्यो महाप्रभाः । तासां साध्या महाभागा पुत्रानजनयन्नृप

Transliteration

dharmapatnyo daśaivaitā dākṣāyaṇyo mahāprabhāḥ | tāsāṃ sādhyā mahābhāgā putrānajanayannṛpa

Translation

Kesepuluh gadis Dākṣāyaṇī yang mulia inilah isteri-isteri Dharma. Wahai raja, antara mereka Sādhya yang amat berbahagia telah melahirkan para putera.

Word by Word

• धर्मपत्न्यः: wives of Dharma
• धर्मपत्न्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य पत्न्यः)

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या (numeral), प्रथमा, बहुवचनार्थे; विशेषणम् (qualifying पत्न्यः)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• एताः: these
• एताः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (demonstrative pronoun)

• दाक्षायण्यः: daughters of Dakṣa
• दाक्षायण्यः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dākṣāyaṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; दाक्षायणी-शब्दः (Dakṣa’s daughters)

• महाप्रभाः: of great splendor
• महाप्रभाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + prabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (महती प्रभा यस्याः)

• तासाम्: of them
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• साध्याः: the Sādhyas
• साध्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sādhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (देवगण-नाम), प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• महाभागाः: very fortunate, illustrious
• महाभागाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् भागः/भाग्यं येषाम्)

• पुत्रान्: sons
• पुत्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• अजनयन्: they begot, produced
• अजनयन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु) [णिच् causative: जनय-]
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (contextual attribution within Āvantya/Revā narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dharma seated as a dignified deity/kingly figure with ten radiant Dākṣāyaṇī wives around him; Sādhyā highlighted as ‘mahābhāgā’, shown with maternal aura, holding infants or a cradle symbolizing the birth of the Sādhyas.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma
• Dākṣāyaṇīs
• Dakṣa
• Sādhyā
• Sons of Dharma (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse links cosmic order to Dharma’s household—suggesting that harmony in the world arises from rightly ordered relationships and progeny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular site is singled out; the broader Revā Khaṇḍa context relates to the sanctity of the Narmadā region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual instruction is given in this verse.