Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

चितिं कृत्वा समं तेन ज्वालयामास पावकम् । अथ ते मुनयो दृष्ट्वा तथाशीलां शुभांगनाम्

Transliteration

citiṃ kṛtvā samaṃ tena jvālayāmāsa pāvakam | atha te munayo dṛṣṭvā tathāśīlāṃ śubhāṃganām

Translation

Nachdem sie einen Scheiterhaufen errichtet hatte, dem seinen gleich, entzündete sie das Feuer. Da blickten jene Weisen, als sie die tugendhafte, glückverheißende Frau von solcher Standhaftigkeit sahen, besorgt auf sie.

Word by Word

• citim: funeral pyre
• citim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Kriyā (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kṛtvā (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having done)

• samam: together/equally
• samam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbially: 'equally/together')

• tena: with him/with that (body)
• tena: Sahakāraka (Accompaniment/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; तृतीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• jvālayāmāsa: set on fire/ignited
• jvālayāmāsa: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jval (धातु) (णिच्) → jvālayati; + āsa (धातु)
• Form: परस्मैपद; लिट्-पर्याय/परिप्रयोगः: ‘ज्वालयाम्-आस’ (periphrastic perfect); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• pāvakam: fire
• pāvakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• munayaḥ: sages
• munayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyā (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु) → dṛṣṭvā (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• tathāśīlām: of such conduct/so disposed
• tathāśīlām: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tathā-śīla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (तथा + शीलः)

• śubhāṅganām: the virtuous woman
• śubhāṅganām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śubha-aṅganā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (शुभा अङ्गना)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpottama (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A woman builds a pyre matching her husband’s and lights it; a circle of matted-haired sages watch with alarm and compassion in a coastal sacred landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Munayaḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Extreme acts born of devotion invite dharma-guidance; sages serve as moral interpreters within Purāṇic stories.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode continues at the Arbuda Khaṇḍa sacred water-site, where the miracle and ensuing crisis unfold.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Construction of a citi (pyre) and kindling of fire—depicted narratively rather than prescribed as a universal rite.