Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

चिराद्भर्तरी नायाते चिन्तयामास लुब्धकी । अद्य सायाह्नवेलायामागताः सर्वलुब्धकाः

Transliteration

cirādbhartarī nāyāte cintayāmāsa lubdhakī | adya sāyāhnavelāyāmāgatāḥ sarvalubdhakāḥ

Translation

เมื่อสามียังไม่มานานนัก ภรรยาพรานก็ครุ่นคิดกังวลว่า “วันนี้ยามเย็นพรานทั้งหลายก็กลับมากันหมดแล้ว”

Word by Word

• चिरात्: after a long time
• चिरात्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालवाचक (ablative of time)

• भर्तरि: when/while (her) husband (was)
• भर्तरि: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• आयाते: having come (returned)
• आयाते: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-या (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘having come’ (locative absolute with भर्तरि)

• चिन्तयामास: thought
• चिन्तयामास: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्त् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• लुब्धकी: the hunter’s wife
• लुब्धकी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लुब्धक + ई (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘लुब्धकस्य पत्नी’ (female hunter’s wife)

• अद्य: today
• अद्य: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• सायाह्नवेलायाम्: at the evening time
• सायाह्नवेलायाम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सायाह्न + वेला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आगताः: have come
• आगताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सर्वलुब्धकाः: all the hunters
• सर्वलुब्धकाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + लुब्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa convention)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night deepens; the woman counts the returning hunters in her mind, realizing all have come except her husband; her posture tightens, hands clasped, eyes scanning the darkening forest road.

Characters & Entities

• Hunter (lubdhaka)
• Hunter’s wife (lubdhakī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Anxiety and uncertainty prepare the ground for a karmic revelation—Purāṇas often use such moments to pivot toward moral teaching.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in the verse; the broader frame is Kedārakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.