Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा पक्षिसमूहं तु अस्थिखण्डं व्यसर्जयत् । विहगानां समस्तानां धावतां चैव पश्यताम्

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā pakṣisamūhaṃ tu asthikhaṇḍaṃ vyasarjayat | vihagānāṃ samastānāṃ dhāvatāṃ caiva paśyatām

Translation

لیکن پرندوں کے غول کو دیکھ کر، اس نے ہڈی کا ٹکڑا گرا دیا—جبکہ تمام پرندے بھاگ رہے تھے اور دیکھ رہے تھے۔

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (Gerund), पूर्वकाले

• पक्षिसमूहम्: a flock of birds
• पक्षिसमूहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्षि (प्रातिपदिक) + समूह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पक्षिणां समूहः)

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Discourse (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• अस्थिखण्डम्: a piece of bone
• अस्थिखण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक) + खण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अस्थ्नः खण्डम्)

• व्यसर्जयत्: he/it threw away, released
• व्यसर्जयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + सृज् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विहगानाम्: of the birds
• विहगानाम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विहग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• समस्तानाम्: of all (of them)
• समस्तानाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• धावताम्: of (them) running
• धावताम्: Karta (Genitive absolute-like qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धाव् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present Participle, Parasmaipada), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Discourse (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक निपात (conjunction)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Discourse (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• पश्यताम्: of (them) watching
• पश्यताम्: Karta (Genitive qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present Participle, Parasmaipada), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

A princess/maiden recounting her former-life account to a king (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) context; specific sub-tīrtha not named in provided verses

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A predator bird releases the bone fragment; below, a rushing, watching multitude of birds converges, creating a whirl of wings around the falling relic; the ground/riverbank is poised to become the focal point.

Characters & Entities

• Birds (vihaga/pakṣin)
• Bone fragment (asthi-khaṇḍa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A seemingly minor event becomes the turning point that carries the soul toward grace, emphasizing the hidden workings of dharma and tīrtha-merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā tīrtha, immediately before the bone fragment falls into the sacred waters near Hanūmanteśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.