Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 166

Devanagari script

एवमुक्तस्तु विप्रोऽसौ कथयामास भारत । भार्याया यद्दिवा वृत्तं शङ्कमानो नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

evamuktastu vipro'sau kathayāmāsa bhārata | bhāryāyā yaddivā vṛttaṃ śaṅkamāno nṛpottama

Translation

இவ்வாறு கூறப்பட்டதும் அந்தப் பிராமணன், ஓ பாரதா, பகலில் மனைவியிடம் நடந்ததை விவரிக்கத் தொடங்கினான்; உயர்ந்த அரசன் சந்தேகத்துடன் கவனமாகக் கேட்டான்।

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय (thus)

• uktaḥ: addressed/spoken to
• uktaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्, धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि (having been spoken to/addressed)

• tu: then/but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयार्थक-निपात (but/indeed)

• vipraḥ: brahmin
• vipraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• asau: that (man)
• asau: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asau (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; दूरवाचक-सर्वनाम (that person)

• kathayāmāsa: narrated/told
• kathayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (कथ्, धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• bhārata: O Bhārata
• bhārata: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (vocative), एकवचन

• bhāryāyāḥ: of (his) wife
• bhāryāyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāryā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yat: what/that which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (that which)

• divā: by day
• divā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: divā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (by day/during daytime)

• vṛttam: occurred/happened
• vṛttam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛt (वृत्, धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'occurred/happened'

• śaṅkamānaḥ: suspecting/doubting
• śaṅkamānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śaṅk (शङ्क्, धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• nṛpottama: O best of kings
• nṛpottama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नृपाणाम् उत्तमः)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata/royal interlocutor (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa begins his account while a noble king listens intently, suspicion on his face; the moment is poised before revelation.

Characters & Entities

• Bhārata
• nṛpottama (a king)
• vipra (brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas teach dharma through witnessed testimony—personal narrative becomes evidence of tīrtha-prabhāva.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse, but the narration is moving toward the Eraṇḍī-saṅgama episode in the Revā region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it transitions into the account that will include bathing and worship.