Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

भोभो मृग न मे भार्या त्वया दृष्टाऽत्र कानने । त्वत्समे लोचने स्पष्टे कज्जलेन समावृते

Transliteration

bhobho mṛga na me bhāryā tvayā dṛṣṭā'tra kānane | tvatsame locane spaṣṭe kajjalena samāvṛte

Translation

He, du Hirsch! Hast du meine Gattin hier im Wald nicht gesehen? Ihre Augen sind wie die deinen—klar und leuchtend—doch von Kajal umschattet.

Word by Word

• भोभो: hey! hey!
• भोभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भोभो (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बोधन-निपात — vocative interjection

• मृग: O deer
• मृग: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय — negation

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular (1st person pronoun)

• भार्या: wife
• भार्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular (2nd person pronoun)

• दृष्टा: seen
• दृष्टा: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘seen’ agreeing with भार्या

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय — adverb of place

• कानने: in the forest
• कानने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कानन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular

• त्वत्समे: like yours
• त्वत्समे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वत्-सम (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), द्विवचन — Nom./Acc. dual; तत्पुरुष (त्वत्सम = ‘equal to you’) विशेषण (लोचने)

• लोचने: (her) two eyes
• लोचने: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), द्विवचन — Nom./Acc. dual

• स्पष्टे: clear/bright
• स्पष्टे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्पष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), द्विवचन — Nom./Acc. dual; विशेषण (लोचने)

• कज्जलेन: with collyrium/kohl
• कज्जलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कज्जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• समावृते: covered
• समावृते: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-वृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचन — ‘covered’ agreeing with लोचने

Speaker

A lovelorn husband/lover (narrative voice within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A deer stands alert in a forest clearing; the speaker urgently questions it about his missing wife, focusing on the deer’s clear eyes as a mirror of her kohl-lined gaze.

Characters & Entities

• mṛga (deer)
• kānana (forest)
• kajjala (collyrium)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It portrays the mind’s fixation in longing; Purāṇic narratives use such states to show how perception becomes colored by desire and memory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This single verse does not identify a tīrtha by name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.