Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

तं दृष्ट्वा भावगंभीरं जहास गरुडध्वजः । उवाच पौंड्रकं मूढमात्मचिह्नोपलक्षितम्

Transliteration

taṃ dṛṣṭvā bhāvagaṃbhīraṃ jahāsa garuḍadhvajaḥ | uvāca pauṃḍrakaṃ mūḍhamātmacihnopalakṣitam

Translation

তার গম্ভীর ভাব দেখে গরুড়ধ্বজধারী প্রভু হেসে উঠলেন এবং নিজের চিহ্নে চিহ্নিত সেই মূঢ় পৌণ্ড্রককে বললেন।

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम-शब्दः (pronoun)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), ‘दृश्’ धातोः; पूर्वक्रिया (having seen)

• भावगंभीरम्: deep in expression/feeling
• भावगंभीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṃbhīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (भावे गंभीरः); पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• जहास: laughed
• जहास: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: has (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• गरुडध्वजः: the one whose banner is Garuḍa (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• गरुडध्वजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garuḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समासः (गरुडः ध्वजः यस्य सः); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• पौंड्रकम्: Pauṇḍraka
• पौंड्रकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pauṃḍraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; व्यक्तिनाम

• मूढम्: deluded, foolish
• मूढम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mūḍha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• आत्मचिह्नोपलक्षितम्: marked by (false) personal insignia
• आत्मचिह्नोपलक्षितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + cihna (प्रातिपदिक) + upa-lakṣita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √lakṣ)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (आत्मनः चिह्नैः उपलक्षितः); पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator introduces Viṣṇu’s response; Viṣṇu is about to speak

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kṛṣṇa, bearing the Garuḍa-banner, laughs at Pauṇḍraka’s grave pose and counterfeit insignia, then begins to address him as a deluded man.

Characters & Entities

• Garuḍa-dhvaja (Viṣṇu)
• Pauṇḍraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Delusion imitates holiness; the Lord exposes falsehood effortlessly, reminding that true dharma cannot be manufactured.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No direct tirtha-glorification occurs in this verse; it functions within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya narrative sequence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative-moral turning point.