Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

तयोस्तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा सदा वैवस्वतो यमः । चित्रगुप्तं कलिं कालं वीक्ष्यतामिदमब्रवीत्

Transliteration

tayostadvacanaṃ śrutvā sadā vaivasvato yamaḥ | citraguptaṃ kaliṃ kālaṃ vīkṣyatāmidamabravīt

Translation

ครั้นได้สดับถ้อยคำของเขาทั้งสองแล้ว พระยมไววัสวตะจึงทอดพระเนตรไปยังจิตรคุปต์ กาลี และกาล แล้วตรัสถ้อยคำนี้

Word by Word

• तयोः: of those two
• तयोः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-शब्दः; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन (Dual); लिङ्ग-निरपेक्ष (pronoun)

• तत्: that
• तत्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषणम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• वचनम्: speech/statement
• वचनम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकाले (having done)

• सदा: always
• सदा: क्रियाविशेषण
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• वैवस्वतः: Vaivasvata (son of Vivasvat)
• वैवस्वतः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैवस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण यमस्य

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: कर्ता
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चित्रगुप्तम्: Chitragupta
• चित्रगुप्तम्: कर्म (Object of vīkṣya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्रगुप्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः: चित्रः + गुप्तः (कर्मधारय)

• कलिम्: Kali
• कलिम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कालम्: Time/Kāla
• कालम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वीक्ष्य: having looked at
• वीक्ष्य: क्रियाविशेषण
• Type: Verb
• Root: वीक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• ताम्: her/that (f.)
• ताम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अब्रवीत्: said/spoke
• अब्रवीत्: क्रिया (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Reva (Narmadā) context implied by Revākhaṇḍa, but not explicit in this verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama seated in a stern court, turning his gaze toward Citragupta with a ledger, alongside personified Kāla (Time) and Kali (dark age), as attendants await judgment.

Characters & Entities

• Yama (Vaivasvata)
• Citragupta
• Kali
• Kāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is administered through cosmic order—records, time, and moral decline are all accounted for in judgement.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named; the verse highlights the administrative dimension of Yama’s realm within the Revā Khaṇḍa story.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse transitions from testimony to verification/administration (Citragupta, Kāla).