Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

परिधानं न जानन्ति काश्चिद्दृष्ट्वा वराङ्गनाः । उत्तरीयं तथा चान्या महामोहसमन्विताः

Transliteration

paridhānaṃ na jānanti kāściddṛṣṭvā varāṅganāḥ | uttarīyaṃ tathā cānyā mahāmohasamanvitāḥ

Translation

କେତେକ ସୁଅଙ୍ଗୀ ନାରୀ ତାଙ୍କୁ ଦେଖି ନିଜ ପରିଧାନ କ’ଣ ତାହା ମଧ୍ୟ ଜାଣିଲେ ନାହିଁ; ଆଉ କେତେକ ମହାମୋହରେ ଆବୃତ ହୋଇ ଉତ୍ତରୀୟର ଭାନ ହରାଇଲେ।

Word by Word

• paridhānam: garment, clothing
• paridhānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paridhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negative particle)

• jānanti: know, recognize
• jānanti: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• kāścit: some (women)
• kāścit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; अनिश्चित-प्रयोग (indefinite ‘some’)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• varāṅganāḥ: excellent women
• varāṅganāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara-aṅganā (प्रातिपदिक; vara + aṅganā)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

• uttarīyam: upper garment
• uttarīyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttarīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), ‘thus/likewise’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• anyāḥ: others
• anyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• mahāmohasamanvitāḥ: possessed of great delusion
• mahāmohasamanvitāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā-moha-samanvita (प्रातिपदिक; mahā + moha + samanvita)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष-समास (‘endowed with great delusion’)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dāruvana (narrative-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Some women stand bewildered, hands half-raised, garments slipping as they forget themselves; others clutch an upper cloth in confusion; the Deity remains composed, highlighting the contrast between divine steadiness and human moha.

Characters & Entities

• Daruvana women (implied)
• Śiva (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Desire and delusion can erase self-awareness and propriety; dharma requires guarding the mind before guarding appearances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Daruvana is the narrative setting; the Revā Khaṇḍa context ties the story to the wider sacred landscape of the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a cautionary narrative depiction.