Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

यत्त्वयोक्तं महादेव पतिधर्मरताः स्त्रियः । तासां त्वं मदनो भूत्वा चारित्रं क्षोभय प्रभो

Transliteration

yattvayoktaṃ mahādeva patidharmaratāḥ striyaḥ | tāsāṃ tvaṃ madano bhūtvā cāritraṃ kṣobhaya prabho

Translation

“ข้าแต่มหาเทพ พระองค์ตรัสว่าเหล่าสตรีที่นี่ตั้งมั่นในธรรมแห่งความซื่อสัตย์ต่อสามี ดังนั้นข้าแต่พระผู้เป็นเจ้า ขอทรงเป็นดุจมทนะและสั่นคลอนจริยาของนางทั้งหลาย เพื่อทดสอบความมั่นคงเถิด”

Word by Word

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun ‘what/that which’)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental singular ‘by you’)

• उक्तम्: said
• उक्तम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘यत्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण (said)

• महादेव: O Mahādeva
• महादेव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘महान् देवः’ (vocative singular)

• पतिधर्मरताः: devoted to husbands’ duty
• पतिधर्मरताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पति + धर्म + रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः ‘पतिधर्मे रताः’ (devoted to the duty toward husband)

• स्त्रियः: women
• स्त्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (feminine, nominative plural)

• तासाम्: of them
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (genitive plural ‘of those’)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative singular ‘you’)

• मदनः: Kāma (Cupid)
• मदनः: Karta (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-नाम (predicate nominative)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having become)

• चारित्रम्: conduct; character
• चारित्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चारित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, accusative singular)

• क्षोभय: disturb; agitate
• क्षोभय: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षुभ् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative imperative ‘agitate!’)

• प्रभो: O Lord
• प्रभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (vocative singular)

Speaker

Devī (Umā/Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīra context

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The consort speaks boldly to Mahādeva, proposing a ‘Madana-like’ role to stir the women devoted to patidharma—an intense conversational moment with undertones of temptation and moral testing.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Devī (Umā)
• Madana (Kāma)
• Mahādāruvana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narratives often explore virtue through testing, highlighting the strength (or fragility) of lived dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahādāruvana, the sacred settlement whose community’s dharma is about to be examined within the story.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is a narrative proposal (a ‘test’) rather than a rite like snāna, dāna, or japa.