Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

न कारुण्यं त्वया किंचिद्दाक्षिण्यं च स्त्रियं प्रति । दयां म्लेच्छा हि कुर्वन्ति वचनं वीक्ष्य योषिताम्

Transliteration

na kāruṇyaṃ tvayā kiṃciddākṣiṇyaṃ ca striyaṃ prati | dayāṃ mlecchā hi kurvanti vacanaṃ vīkṣya yoṣitām

Translation

నీకు స్త్రీల పట్ల ఏమాత్రం కరుణ గానీ, దాక్షిణ్యం గానీ లేదు. స్త్రీల మాటలు వింటే మ్లేచ్ఛులు కూడా దయ చూపిస్తారు కదా!

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध): ‘not’

• kāruṇyam: compassion
• kāruṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāruṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘compassion’

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: तृतीया, एकवचन

• kiṃcit: anything
• kiṃcit: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim + cit (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम + निपात)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अल्पार्थक/indefinite: ‘anything at all’

• dākṣiṇyam: kindness
• dākṣiṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dākṣiṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘kindness, generosity’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय): ‘and’

• striyam: toward a woman
• striyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• prati: towards
• prati: Sambandha (Directional relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (दिशार्थक): ‘towards/against’

• dayām: compassion
• dayām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• mlecchāḥ: barbarians (mlecchas)
• mlecchāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mleccha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात): ‘indeed’

• kurvanti: do, show
• kurvanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• vacanam: speech, words
• vacanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• vīkṣya: having seen
• vīkṣya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Absolutive modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√īkṣ (धातु)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (क्त्वा/ल्यप्): ‘having seen/considered’

• yoṣitām: of women
• yoṣitām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoṣit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

Speaker

Dānava women (collective lament; addressing Fire/agent of burning)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A woman, tearful yet resolute, rebukes the roaring fire; behind her, other women clasp hands in prayer; the composition contrasts harsh flame textures with the softness of pleading faces.

Characters & Entities

• Mleccha
• Yoṣit (women)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassion is presented as a baseline of dharma—its absence is portrayed as worse than the conduct expected even of the uncultured.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; the Revā Khaṇḍa context supplies the sacred setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.