Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

संवर्धितोऽसि यैर्बाल्ये क्रीडितो वत्सपालकैः । तेऽपि त्वया परित्यक्ताः कथं दुष्टोऽसि निर्घृणः

Transliteration

saṃvardhito'si yairbālye krīḍito vatsapālakaiḥ | te'pi tvayā parityaktāḥ kathaṃ duṣṭo'si nirghṛṇaḥ

Translation

„Die, die dich in der Kindheit großzogen, und die Knaben, die die Kälber hüteten und mit denen du spieltest—hast du auch sie verlassen? Wie kannst du so grausam und herzlos sein?“

Word by Word

• संवर्धितः: brought up / raised
• संवर्धितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + वृध् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (PPP; Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• असि: you are
• असि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present; 2nd person singular)

• यैः: by whom
• यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम (Masculine, Instrumental, Plural; relative pronoun)

• बाल्ये: in childhood
• बाल्ये: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• क्रीडितः: played (with)
• क्रीडितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रीड् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (PPP; Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• वत्सपालकैः: with the calf-herds (cowherd boys)
• वत्सपालकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्स (प्रातिपदिक) + पालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वत्सानां पालकाः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (Genitive-tatpurusha; Masculine, Instrumental, Plural)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (Masculine, Nominative, Plural; pronoun)

• अपि: also / even
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (indeclinable particle: also/even)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular; pronoun)

• परित्यक्ताः: abandoned
• परित्यक्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + त्यज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (PPP; Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक-क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• दुष्टः: wicked
• दुष्टः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• असि: you are
• असि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present; 2nd person singular)

• निर्घृणः: merciless
• निर्घृणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्घृण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Vraja women (gopīs), quoted within Prahlāda’s narration

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vraja (Gokula/Vṛndāvana) / Dvārakā (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gopīs accuse Krishna of abandoning even those who raised him and played with him as calf-herd boys; gestures alternate between pointing outward (departure) and clutching the heart (betrayal).

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• Vatsapālakas (cowherd boys)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion speaks candidly: the devotee’s sense of relationship (love, gratitude, loyalty) becomes the language of prayer.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is the storyline locus, but Vraja is the emotional sacred homeland recalled through Kṛṣṇa’s childhood.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a relational, moral appeal rather than a ritual instruction.