Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

गतोऽसौ कारणात्तस्मात्तल्लिंगे पतिते वयम् । निरानंदाः स्थिताः सर्व आचक्ष्वैतद्धि कारणम्

Transliteration

gato'sau kāraṇāttasmāttalliṃge patite vayam | nirānaṃdāḥ sthitāḥ sarva ācakṣvaitaddhi kāraṇam

Translation

Darum ging er aus jenem Grund fort; und als jenes Liṅga fiel, blieben wir alle ohne Freude. Sage uns die wahre Ursache hierfür.

Word by Word

• gataḥ: gone
• gataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Predicate/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु) → gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; adjectival participle used predicatively

• asau: he/that one
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• kāraṇāt: from the cause/reason
• kāraṇāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादान (ablative)

• tasmāt: from that
• tasmāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन

• tat-liṅge: in that liṅga
• tat-liṅge: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम) + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (that + liṅga); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• patite: fallen
• patite: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √pat (धातु) → patita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; agrees with liṅge

• vayam: we
• vayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, उत्तमपुरुषार्थ, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• nir-ānandāḥ: joyless
• nir-ānandāḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Predicate complement/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir- (उपसर्ग) + ānanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्/निर्-प्रयोग (privative), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; predicate adjective of vayam

• sthitāḥ: (have) remained/stood
• sthitāḥ: Kriyā (Verbal predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु) → sthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; predicative participle

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; agrees with vayam

• ācakṣva: tell, explain
• ācakṣva: Kriyā (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √cakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha/Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), emphasis/indeed

• kāraṇam: the cause/reason
• kāraṇam: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; apposition to etat (object complement)

Speaker

Unspecified (context suggests afflicted beings/attendants addressing Brahmā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sages, now joyless and humbled, stand before Brahmā with downcast eyes, confessing their state and pleading for the real reason behind their affliction.

Characters & Entities

• liṅga
• nirānanda (joylessness)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Suffering invites inquiry into causes; purāṇic narratives push the listener toward understanding karma and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, depicted as a realm where spiritual states (ānanda/nirānanda) shift with one’s conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is a request for doctrinal explanation.