Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

अज्ञानाद्बालभावेन यूका कण्टेऽधिरोपिता । तैलाभ्यक्तशिरोगात्रे मया यूका घृता न हि

Transliteration

ajñānādbālabhāvena yūkā kaṇṭe'dhiropitā | tailābhyaktaśirogātre mayā yūkā ghṛtā na hi

Translation

अज्ञानाद्बालभावेन यूका कण्टेऽधिरोपिता । तैलाभ्यक्तशिरोगात्रे मया यूका घृता न हि

Word by Word

• अज्ञानात्: from ignorance
• अज्ञानात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी (Ablative/अपादान), एकवचन

• बालभावेन: through childishness
• बालभावेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालभाव (प्रातिपदिक); बाल + भाव
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः: ‘by childishness/child-state’

• यूका: a louse
• यूका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यूका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन

• कण्ठे: on the neck
• कण्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• अधिरोपिता: was placed upon
• अधिरोपिता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि-रुह् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः—क्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थः—‘placed upon’

• तैलाभ्यक्तशिरोगात्रे: on (my) oil-anointed head and body
• तैलाभ्यक्तशिरोगात्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तैल-अभ्यक्त-शिरस्-गात्र (प्रातिपदिक); तैल + अभ्यक्त + शिरस् + गात्र
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः: ‘on the head-and-body anointed with oil’

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• यूका: the louse
• यूका: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यूका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• घृता: was crushed/smeared
• घृता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: घृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः—क्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थः—‘rubbed/smeared’ (here: ‘crushed/pressed’ by rubbing)

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

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (Particle), निश्चयार्थ (indeed)

Speaker

Māṇḍavya Ṛṣi

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha context (implicit)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas/mahārṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A remorseful figure recounts a youthful prank: placing a louse on another’s throat; the scene is framed as confession rather than comedy.

Characters & Entities

• Māṇḍavya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even seemingly small, thoughtless harm can become the seed of later suffering through karma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it serves the Revā Khaṇḍa’s moral narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; oil-anointing is incidental to the story, not a prescribed rite.