Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

अथासौ सह पुत्रेण प्रविष्टस्तत्र निर्झरे । विमुक्ते भास्करे राजन्विरूपश्चाभवत्पुनः

Transliteration

athāsau saha putreṇa praviṣṭastatra nirjhare | vimukte bhāskare rājanvirūpaścābhavatpunaḥ

Translation

ثم دخل ذلك النبع الشلال مع ابنه. ولكن لما زال تأثير الشمس، أيها الملك، عاد مشوَّه الخِلقة من جديد.

Word by Word

• atha: then/now
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (indeclinable; sequence/beginning marker)

• asau: that person/he
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asau (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग-प्रयोगसामर्थ्य; प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक-उपपद (indeclinable; 'with' governing instrumental)

• putreṇa: with (his) son
• putreṇa: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd case/instrumental), एकवचन

• praviṣṭaḥ: having entered/entered
• praviṣṭaḥ: Karta (Subject predicate/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-viś (धातु) → praviṣṭa (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• nirjhare: in the waterfall/stream
• nirjhare: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nirjhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th case/locative), एकवचन

• vimukte: when (it was) released/when freed
• vimukte: Adhikaraṇa (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-muc (धातु) → vimukta (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; (भास्करे इति विशेष्ये)

• bhāskare: in/when the sun
• bhāskare: Adhikaraṇa (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāskara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन

• virūpaḥ: deformed/ugly
• virūpaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (asau इति)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• abhavat: became
• abhavat: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्त्यर्थक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-niḥjhara/jalāśaya

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The man and his son enter the cascading spring; light shifts as the sun’s influence is removed (cloud cover or sunset), and the man’s body reverts to deformity—wonder turning to dread.

Characters & Entities

• Bhāskara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narratives often contrast temporary boons with lasting dharma; inner purity and right conduct are implied as essential for enduring uplift.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A nirjhara (waterfall/spring) tīrtha in Arbuda Khaṇḍa, central to the episode’s miraculous changes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Entry into and bathing/immersion in the sacred waters is the operative ritual act in the story.