Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

एते वसन्ति सततं मा विचारं कृथा नृप । सानुकूला भवेद्येन तच्छृणुष्व नराधिप

Transliteration

ete vasanti satataṃ mā vicāraṃ kṛthā nṛpa | sānukūlā bhavedyena tacchṛṇuṣva narādhipa

Translation

ข้าแต่มหาราช พวกเขาพำนักอยู่ที่นั่นเนืองนิตย์—อย่าได้กังขาเลย. บัดนี้ข้าแต่เจ้านายแห่งมนุษย์ จงสดับสิ่งที่ทำให้ท่าข้ามศักดิ์สิทธิ์นั้นเกื้อกูลและเป็นมงคลแก่ท่าน

Word by Word

• एते: these (people)
• एते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• वसन्ति: dwell/live
• वसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• सततम्: always/constantly
• सततम्: Adhikarana (Adverbial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative)

• मा: do not
• मा: Sambandha (Prohibition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-निपात (prohibitive particle)

• विचारम्: consideration/deliberation
• विचारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कृथा: do/make
• कृथा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; वैदिक/आर्ष-रूप (कुरु इत्यर्थे)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• स-अनुकूला: favorable/propitious
• स-अनुकूला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ ‘with’) + अनुकूला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः (सानुकूला = अनुकूलया सह/अनुकूलरूपा)

• भवेत्: may become/would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (by which)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• नर-अधिप: O lord of men
• नर-अधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नराणाम् अधिपः)

Speaker

Unspecified (Revākhaṇḍa dialogue context; a Purāṇic narrator instructing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-taraṇa/ghāṭa (implied)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage reassures a king at a river ford; the far bank glows subtly, suggesting unseen presences; the sage gestures toward the crossing and forthcoming rites.

Characters & Entities

• nṛpa (king)
• narādhipa (ruler)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faith and attentive listening to dharma-instructions are required; the rite is taught as a real aid, not a mere metaphor.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Revākhaṇḍa frames the teaching within the sanctity of the Revā (Narmadā) region and its dharmic observances.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Preparation for the rite that makes the Vaitaraṇī-crossing ‘favorable’—details follow in subsequent verses.