Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

न भवन्ति पुमांसस्ते स्त्रियस्ताश्चैव केशव । परं न शस्त्रसङ्ग्रामं करिष्यामि त्वया सह

Transliteration

na bhavanti pumāṃsaste striyastāścaiva keśava | paraṃ na śastrasaṅgrāmaṃ kariṣyāmi tvayā saha

Translation

“Wahai Keśava, mereka yang engkau kalahkan dahulu bukanlah lelaki sejati—mereka bagaikan perempuan. Oleh itu, aku tidak akan berperang senjata denganmu.”

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• भवन्ति: are, become
• भवन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• पुमांसः: men
• पुमांसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ते: those (they)
• ते: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• स्त्रियः: women
• स्त्रियः: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ताः: those (fem.)
• ताः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic: only/indeed)

• केशव: O Keśava
• केशव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• परम्: however
• परम्: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परम् (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अपवादवाचक-अव्यय (but, however)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• शस्त्रसङ्ग्रामम्: weapon-battle
• शस्त्रसङ्ग्रामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र-सङ्ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक; शस्त्र + सङ्ग्राम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• करिष्यामि: I will do, I will wage
• करिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• त्वया: with you
• त्वया: Sahakari (Companion/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakari (Companion/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-योगवाचक-अव्यय (with; accompaniment marker)

Speaker

Andhaka

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Keśava (Kṛṣṇa/Vāsudeva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Andhaka derides Keśava’s former foes as ‘not men’ and refuses a straight weapons-battle; depict Andhaka with a dismissive gesture, turning slightly away while still threatening, and Keśava composed, embodying restrained strength.

Characters & Entities

• Andhaka
• Keśava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pride distorts judgment; belittling others is a mark of adharma and precedes one’s downfall in Purāṇic narratives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.