Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

केशभारपरिभ्रष्टा काचिदेवासनोत्थिता । दातुकामा तदा भैक्ष्यं चेष्टितुं नैव चाशकत्

Transliteration

keśabhāraparibhraṣṭā kācidevāsanotthitā | dātukāmā tadā bhaikṣyaṃ ceṣṭituṃ naiva cāśakat

Translation

ایک عورت کے بال بکھر گئے اور وہ اپنی نشست سے اٹھ کھڑی ہوئی؛ بھیک دینے کی خواہش کے باوجود وہ اس وقت بھکشو کے لیے بھوجن پیش کرنے کی درست تدبیر بھی نہ کر سکی۔

Word by Word

• keśabhāraparibhraṣṭā: with hair-mass dishevelled
• keśabhāraparibhraṣṭā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: keśa-bhāra-paribhraṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक; keśa + bhāra + paribhraṣṭa)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष-समास (‘dishevelled due to fallen mass of hair’)

• kācid: a certain (woman)
• kācid: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अनिश्चित-प्रयोग (‘a certain’)

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• āsanotthitā: risen from her seat
• āsanotthitā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āsana-utthita (प्रातिपदिक; āsana + utthita)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष-समास (‘risen from the seat’)

• dātukāmā: wishing to give
• dātukāmā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dātu-kāma (प्रातिपदिक; dātu (tumun of dā (धातु)) + kāma)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष-समास (‘desirous to give’)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• bhaikṣyam: alms
• bhaikṣyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaikṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ceṣṭitum: to attempt, to do
• ceṣṭitum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ceṣṭ (धातु)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (Infinitive/तुमुन्), ‘to act/attempt’

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negative particle)

• eva: at all/indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• aśakat: was able
• aśakat: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śak (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/लङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dāruvana (narrative-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A woman rises abruptly, hair loosened, trying to offer bhikṣā to the mendicant; her hands falter mid-gesture, body tense with agitation; the mendicant remains tranquil, bowl extended.

Characters & Entities

• Bhikṣā (alms)
• Daruvana woman (implied)
• Śiva as mendicant (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Good intentions (like dāna) fail when the mind is overpowered; purity of intention must be joined with steadiness and self-control.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The scene belongs to Daruvana within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative arc.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The act of giving bhikṣā (alms/food to a mendicant) is referenced, though not formally prescribed as a rule in this verse.