Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

प्रह्लाद उवाच । श्रुत्वा तासां विलपितं गोपीनां नंद नंदन । अनन्यशरणाः सर्वा भावज्ञो भगवान्विभुः । सांत्वयामास वचनैर्व्रजेशस्ता व्रजांगनाः

Transliteration

prahlāda uvāca | śrutvā tāsāṃ vilapitaṃ gopīnāṃ naṃda naṃdana | ananyaśaraṇāḥ sarvā bhāvajño bhagavānvibhuḥ | sāṃtvayāmāsa vacanairvrajeśastā vrajāṃganāḥ

Translation

Prahlāda sprach: Als er das Klagen jener Gopīs vernahm, o Sohn Nandas, tröstete der allmächtige Herr—der jedes Empfinden kennt—da er sah, dass sie keinen anderen Zufluchtsort als Ihn hatten, die Frauen von Vraja mit sanften Worten.

Word by Word

• prahlādaḥ: Prahlāda
• prahlādaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahlāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular masculine

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — 3rd person singular perfect

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śru (धातु) + ktvā (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having heard’

• tāsām: of those (women)
• tāsām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन — Genitive plural feminine pronoun

• vilapitam: lamentation
• vilapitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vi-lap (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Accusative singular neuter; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) — ‘lamentation/that which was lamented’

• gopīnām: of the cowherd women (gopīs)
• gopīnām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gopī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन — Genitive plural feminine

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

• nandana: O son (delighter)
• nandana: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nandana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular masculine

• ananya-śaraṇāḥ: having no other refuge
• ananya-śaraṇāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ananya (प्रातिपदिक) + śaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन — Nominative plural feminine; कर्मधारयः — ‘having no other refuge’

• sarvāḥ: all
• sarvāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन — Nominative plural feminine

• bhāva-jñaḥ: knower of feelings
• bhāva-jñaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + jña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular masculine; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भावानां ज्ञः)

• bhagavān: the Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular masculine

• vibhuḥ: the all-powerful one
• vibhuḥ: Karta (Apposition/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular masculine

• sāṃtvayāmāsa: consoled
• sāṃtvayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√tvai/tu (धातु: त्वै/तू ‘to soothe’)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — 3rd person singular perfect; परस्मैपद

• vacanaiḥ: with words
• vacanaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन — Instrumental plural neuter

• vrajeśaḥ: lord of Vraja
• vrajeśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vraja (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular masculine; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (व्रजस्य ईशः)

• tāḥ: those (women)
• tāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन — Accusative plural feminine pronoun

• vraja-aṅganāḥ: the women of Vraja
• vraja-aṅganāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vraja (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅganā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन — Accusative plural feminine; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (व्रजस्य अङ्गनाः)

Speaker

Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (sectional frame) / Vraja (scene)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied audience within the Dvārakāmāhātmya narration (likely sages/pilgrims)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prahlāda narrates: Krishna, understanding every feeling, gently consoles the refuge-less gopīs of Vraja; the emotional temperature shifts from accusation to soothing reassurance, with Krishna’s calm presence stabilizing the group.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa (Nanda-nandana, Vrajeśa)
• Gopīs
• Vraja

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śaraṇāgati is central: when devotees take exclusive refuge, the Lord who knows their inner feelings responds with compassion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to Dvārakā-māhātmya (Dvārakā), while recalling Vraja as the sacred domain of intimate devotion.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite; the teaching emphasizes inner refuge (śaraṇāgati) and the Lord’s consoling grace.