Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

न भवन्ति पुमांसस्ते स्त्रियस्ताश्चैव केशव । परं न शस्त्रसङ्ग्रामं करिष्यामि त्वया सह

Transliteration

na bhavanti pumāṃsaste striyastāścaiva keśava | paraṃ na śastrasaṅgrāmaṃ kariṣyāmi tvayā saha

Translation

اے کیشو! جنہیں تُو نے پہلے شکست دی تھی وہ حقیقی مرد نہ تھے—وہ عورتوں جیسے تھے۔ اس لیے میں تیرے ساتھ ہتھیاروں کی جنگ نہیں کروں گا۔

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• भवन्ति: are, become
• भवन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• पुमांसः: men
• पुमांसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ते: those (they)
• ते: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• स्त्रियः: women
• स्त्रियः: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ताः: those (fem.)
• ताः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

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

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic: only/indeed)

• केशव: O Keśava
• केशव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• परम्: however
• परम्: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परम् (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अपवादवाचक-अव्यय (but, however)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• शस्त्रसङ्ग्रामम्: weapon-battle
• शस्त्रसङ्ग्रामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र-सङ्ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक; शस्त्र + सङ्ग्राम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• करिष्यामि: I will do, I will wage
• करिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• त्वया: with you
• त्वया: Sahakari (Companion/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakari (Companion/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-योगवाचक-अव्यय (with; accompaniment marker)

Speaker

Andhaka

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Keśava (Kṛṣṇa/Vāsudeva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Andhaka derides Keśava’s former foes as ‘not men’ and refuses a straight weapons-battle; depict Andhaka with a dismissive gesture, turning slightly away while still threatening, and Keśava composed, embodying restrained strength.

Characters & Entities

• Andhaka
• Keśava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pride distorts judgment; belittling others is a mark of adharma and precedes one’s downfall in Purāṇic narratives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.