Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

स्नातं भुक्तं निजस्थाने कृतकृत्यं मनुं यथा । दृष्ट्वा हृष्टमनाः प्राह धूम्राक्षो रावणोदितम्

Transliteration

snātaṃ bhuktaṃ nijasthāne kṛtakṛtyaṃ manuṃ yathā | dṛṣṭvā hṛṣṭamanāḥ prāha dhūmrākṣo rāvaṇoditam

Translation

Als er ihn gebadet und gespeist sah, an seinem eigenen Platz sitzend—pflichtvoll vollendet wie Manu—sprach Dhūmrākṣa, im Herzen erfreut, die Botschaft, wie von Rāvaṇa aufgetragen.

Word by Word

• स्नातम्: bathed
• स्नातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्ना (धातु) → स्नात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular; describes the person seen)

• भुक्तम्: having eaten
• भुक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भुज् (धातु) → भुक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निजस्थाने: in his own place
• निजस्थाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative singular); तत्पुरुष (निजं स्थानम्)

• कृतकृत्यम्: having completed his duties
• कृतकृत्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + कृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (कृतं कृत्यं यस्य = one whose duty is done)

• मनुम्: Manu
• मनुम्: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular; upamāna)

• यथा: as, like
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमावाचक/तुलनार्थक (as, like)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund); अव्ययभाव

• हृष्टमनाः: delighted at heart
• हृष्टमनाः: Visheshana (Qualifier of subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative singular); बहुव्रीहि (हृष्टं मनः यस्य = whose mind is delighted)

• प्राह: said
• प्राह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अह्/ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• धूम्राक्षः: Dhūmrākṣa
• धूम्राक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूम्राक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• रावणोदितम्: spoken by Rāvaṇa
• रावणोदितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक) + उदित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular; object understood: “words”); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (रावणेन उदितम् = spoken by Rāvaṇa)

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene figure sits in his own seat after bathing and eating, composed like Manu; nearby stands Dhūmrākṣa, a smoky-eyed rākṣasa messenger, smiling as he prepares to deliver Rāvaṇa’s words.

Characters & Entities

• Dhūmrākṣa
• Ajāpāla
• Rāvaṇa
• Manu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A dharmic life is marked by order, purity, and duty fulfilled—qualities praised even amid conflict.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya, which glorifies Prabhāsa as a sacred realm.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit ideals of snāna (bathing) and proper conduct are present, but no explicit injunction is stated.