Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

तदा कामो द्रुतं गृह्य पुष्पचापं तमभ्यगात् । कन्दर्प्पं सहसा दृष्ट्वा सन्धितेषुं सुदुर्जयम्

Transliteration

tadā kāmo drutaṃ gṛhya puṣpacāpaṃ tamabhyagāt | kandarppaṃ sahasā dṛṣṭvā sandhiteṣuṃ sudurjayam

Translation

Da ergriff Kāma eilends seinen Blumenbogen und trat auf ihn zu. Als er Kandarpa plötzlich sah—den Pfeil bereits eingelegt, schwer zu bezwingen—(wurde Śiva erschüttert).

Word by Word

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• कामः: Kāma
• कामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; देवता/व्यक्ति (Kāma)

• द्रुतम्: quickly
• द्रुतम्: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: druta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverbial accusative): 'quickly'

• गृह्य: having taken
• गृह्य: Purvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (धातु √ग्रह्)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भाव (gerund/absolutive): 'having taken'

• पुष्पचापम्: the flower-bow
• पुष्पचापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣpa + cāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पुष्पाणां चापः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अभ्यगात्: approached
• अभ्यगात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi + √gam (धातु √गम्)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कन्दर्पम्: Kandarpa
• कन्दर्पम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kandarpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (Kandarpa = Kāma)

• सहसा: suddenly
• सहसा: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय: 'suddenly/at once'

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś + tvā (धातु √दृश्)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भाव (gerund): 'having seen'

• सन्धितेषुम्: him with an aimed arrow
• सन्धितेषुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sandhita + iṣu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सन्धितः इषुः यस्य), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'one whose arrow is fixed/aimed'

• सुदुर्जयम्: very hard to conquer
• सुदुर्जयम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + durjaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (अतिशयेन दुर्जयः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāma-āgama episode (prelude to Kāma-dahana) within Arbuda māhātmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārthiva-sattama (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kāma, youthful and radiant, lifts a flower-bow; his arrow is already set as he approaches the meditative Śiva. The moment is suspended—beauty and threat intertwined, with tension between desire and ascetic immovability.

Characters & Entities

• Kāma
• Kandarpa
• Śiva (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Desire (kāma) is portrayed as a powerful force that tests even great beings, underscoring the purāṇic emphasis on mastery over the senses.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None in this verse; it is part of a mythic prelude within the Arbuda Khaṇḍa narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.