Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

कृकलासवाहनश्च रत्तिकाकर्णभूषणः । गृहाण्यवेक्ष्य वृष्णीनां नादृश्यत पुनः क्वचित्

Transliteration

kṛkalāsavāhanaśca rattikākarṇabhūṣaṇaḥ | gṛhāṇyavekṣya vṛṣṇīnāṃ nādṛśyata punaḥ kvacit

Translation

Er hatte einen Kṛkalāsa (eine Eidechse) als Reittier und trug Rattikā als Ohrschmuck. Nachdem er die Häuser der Vṛṣṇis gemustert hatte, wurde er nirgends mehr gesehen.

Word by Word

• kṛkalāsa-vāhanaḥ: having a lizard as his mount
• kṛkalāsa-vāhanaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛkalāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + vāhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कृकलासः वाहनं यस्य)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) = conjunction

• rattikā-karṇa-bhūṣaṇaḥ: wearing rattikā as ear-ornament
• rattikā-karṇa-bhūṣaṇaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rattikā (प्रातिपदिक) + karṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (रत्तिकायाः कर्णभूषणम् यस्य)

• gṛhāṇi: houses
• gṛhāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• avekṣya: having inspected
• avekṣya: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-īkṣ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), अव्ययभाव; √अव-ईक्ष् = ‘having looked at/inspected’

• vṛṣṇīnām: of the Vṛṣṇis
• vṛṣṇīnām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध) = negation particle

• adṛśyata: was seen, appeared
• adṛśyata: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense) = ‘was seen/appeared’

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरावृत्तिवाचक) = adverb ‘again’

• kvacit: anywhere
• kvacit: Adhikarana (Indefinite location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देश/काल-अनिश्चित) = indefinite adverb ‘anywhere/ever’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator in Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya; traditionally Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The portent-figure rides a lizard, wearing small seed/berry-like ear ornaments, silently surveying the Vṛṣṇi houses before vanishing without trace.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛṣṇi
• kṛkalāsa (lizard)
• rattikā (ornament/seed-bead)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Omens may appear briefly yet decisively; the Purāṇa teaches alertness to dharmic decline and the inevitability of karmic fruition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, the sacred setting where the Vṛṣṇis’ final signs are narrated within the tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is an omen description.