Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

अथापश्यत स्वप्नान्ते प्राप्तं पर्युषितं नरम् । दीनवाक्यं परिक्लिष्टं निःश्वसन्तं मुहुर्मुहुः

Transliteration

athāpaśyata svapnānte prāptaṃ paryuṣitaṃ naram | dīnavākyaṃ parikliṣṭaṃ niḥśvasantaṃ muhurmuhuḥ

Translation

Dann sah er im Traum Paryuṣita als einen Mann erscheinen: mit kläglicher Stimme sprach er, gequält und bedrängt, immer wieder tief seufzend.

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then)

• apaśyat: saw
• apaśyat: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• svapnānte: at the end of the dream
• svapnānte: Adhikaraṇa (Time/Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svapna + anta (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (svapnasya antaḥ)

• prāptam: arrived, come
• prāptam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāpta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √āp + pra)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); ‘नरम्’ इति विशेषण

• paryuṣitam: sojourning/lingering (as a spirit)
• paryuṣitam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paryuṣita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √vas + pari)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); ‘नरम्’ इति विशेषण

• naram: a man
• naram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• dīnavākyam: speaking pitiable words
• dīnavākyam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dīna + vākya (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः (dīnaṃ vākyaṃ yasya/ yathā) — ‘नरम्’ इति विशेषण (acc. neut. as adjectival usage)

• parikliṣṭam: afflicted, distressed
• parikliṣṭam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parikliṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kliś + pari)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); ‘नरम्’ इति विशेषण

• niḥśvasantam: sighing
• niḥśvasantam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niḥśvasat (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √śvas + nis)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); ‘नरम्’ इति विशेषण

• muhuḥ: again and again
• muhuḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Frequency adjunct/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: muhuḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरावृत्तिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: repeatedly)

• muhuḥ: repeatedly
• muhuḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Frequency adjunct/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: muhuḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरावृत्तिवाचक-अव्यय (पुनरुक्ति: मुहुः-मुहुः)

Speaker

Narrator (Īśvara section-frame continues in this adhyāya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night scene: the brāhmaṇa sleeps; in the dream-space, Paryuṣita appears pale and strained, speaking weakly, repeatedly sighing—an embodied image of obstructed gati.

Characters & Entities

• Paryuṣita

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The suffering of an unsettled departed being is portrayed vividly, prompting compassionate dharmic action by the living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya; the particular tīrtha is specified later as Haripriya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implicit prescription: when the departed appears distressed, one should undertake proper śrāddha and related rites.