Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

कः सन्तापः क उद्वेगः किं दुःखं व्याधिरेव च । शिशुः संदृश्यसेऽद्यापि कारणं कथ्यतामिदम्

Transliteration

kaḥ santāpaḥ ka udvegaḥ kiṃ duḥkhaṃ vyādhireva ca | śiśuḥ saṃdṛśyase'dyāpi kāraṇaṃ kathyatāmidam

Translation

ความเร่าร้อนทุกข์นี้คืออะไร ความกระวนกระวายนี้คืออะไร โศกใดหรือแม้โรคภัยใดกำลังเบียดเบียนเจ้า? เจ้ายังแลดูประหนึ่งเยาว์วัยอยู่ จงบอกเหตุแห่งสิ่งนี้เถิด

Word by Word

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

• सन्तापः: affliction, distress
• सन्तापः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्ताप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• उद्वेगः: anxiety, agitation
• उद्वेगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उद्वेग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• दुःखम्: sorrow, pain
• दुःखम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• व्याधिः: disease
• व्याधिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordinator/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• शिशुः: child
• शिशुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• संदृश्यसे: you are seen/you appear
• संदृश्यसे: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): 'you are seen/appear'

• अद्यापि: even today, still now
• अद्यापि: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• कारणम्: reason, cause
• कारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• कथ्यताम्: let (it) be told
• कथ्यताम्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): 'let it be told'

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; संकेतवाचक सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun)

Speaker

Bhānumatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A queen or noble lady gently questions a youthful-looking forest-dweller (Śabara) who appears troubled; the setting suggests a riverbank tīrtha with trees, steps, and pilgrims in the distance.

Characters & Entities

• Bhānumatī
• Śabara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma begins with attentive inquiry—understanding suffering before prescribing a spiritual remedy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The conversation is framed within the Śūlabheda tīrtha region of the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse prepares for teaching by eliciting the cause of the crisis.