Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

कन्या सुदर्शना नाम रूपेणाप्रतिमा भुवि । तां ददस्व महाभाग वर्धते तव मन्दिरे

Transliteration

kanyā sudarśanā nāma rūpeṇāpratimā bhuvi | tāṃ dadasva mahābhāga vardhate tava mandire

Translation

Ada seorang gadis bernama Sudarśanā, tiada bandingan pada rupanya di bumi. Wahai raja yang bertuah, kurniakanlah dia kepadaku sebagai isteri—dia membesar di dalam istanamu.

Word by Word

• kanyā: a maiden
• kanyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sudarśanā: beautiful to behold
• sudarśanā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su- (उपसर्ग) + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; गुणवाचक विशेषण

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (Naming particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable particle) used with names: ‘named/called’

• rūpeṇa: by beauty/appearance
• rūpeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• apratimā: unequalled
• apratimā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + pratimā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-प्रयोग: ‘without equal’

• bhuvi: on earth
• bhuvi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• tām: her
• tām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• dadasva: give (her)
• dadasva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• mahā-bhāga: O fortunate one
• mahā-bhāga: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास: ‘O greatly fortunate one’

• vardhate: she grows up / thrives
• vardhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛdh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• mandire: in (your) palace/house
• mandire: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mandira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

Speaker

Vahni (Agni), in brāhmaṇa guise (deduced from subsequent verses)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-khaṇḍa (Narmadā sphere)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The brāhmaṇa describes Sudarśanā—peerless in beauty—requesting her hand; the palace backdrop hints she has been raised within royal protection.

Characters & Entities

• Sudarśanā
• Vahni (Agni)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Requests must be weighed through dharma; even a powerful petitioner frames the plea as a rightful, orderly act (marriage/kanyā-dāna) within social duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is narrative setup within the Revā-khaṇḍa (Narmadā/Revā region) rather than a direct tirtha-glorification statement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly points to kanyā-dāna (the gifting of a bride in marriage) as a dharmic act, though no detailed rite is specified in this verse.