Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

किं दुःखं कश्च संतापः कुतो वा भयमागतम् । कथयन्तु महाभागाः कारणं यन्मनोगतम्

Transliteration

kiṃ duḥkhaṃ kaśca saṃtāpaḥ kuto vā bhayamāgatam | kathayantu mahābhāgāḥ kāraṇaṃ yanmanogatam

Translation

ความโศกนี้คืออะไร ความระทมนี้คืออะไร และความหวาดกลัวมาจากที่ใด? ขอท่านผู้มีบุญทั้งหลายจงบอกเหตุที่หนักอึ้งอยู่ในดวงใจเถิด

Word by Word

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम (interrogative pronoun)

• दुःखम्: sorrow, pain
• दुःखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• कः: who?/what? (which)
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• संतापः: distress, torment
• संतापः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संताप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• कुतः: from where?
• कुतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक निपात (disjunctive particle)

• भयम्: fear
• भयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• आगतम्: has come, arrived
• आगतम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘आगत’ = come/arrived

• कथयन्तु: let them tell
• कथयन्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• महाभागाः: noble ones, fortunate persons
• महाभागाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; समास: महा + भाग (विशेषण-विशेष्यभाव)

• कारणम्: cause, reason
• कारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक/यत्-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• मनोगतम्: gone into the mind, in the heart
• मनोगतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक) + गत (गम् धातु, क्त कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समास: मनः + गत = मनोगत (षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषार्थे ‘मनसि गतः’); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण

Speaker

Śrī Vāsudeva (Viṣṇu)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A concerned Kṛṣṇa addresses downcast, distressed beings; the moment is still, charged with fear and expectation, before the revelation of the demon’s oppression.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva (Viṣṇu)
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine refuge includes being heard—naming one’s fear and its cause is the first step toward dharmic resolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None explicitly in this verse; the broader Revā Khaṇḍa context relates to the sanctity of the Revā/Narmadā region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.