Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

स्वर्गे मर्त्ये च पाताले न दृष्टं न च मे श्रुतम् । तादृग्रूपमहं येन कामबाणवशीकृतः

Transliteration

svarge martye ca pātāle na dṛṣṭaṃ na ca me śrutam | tādṛgrūpamahaṃ yena kāmabāṇavaśīkṛtaḥ

Translation

„Weder im Himmel, noch unter den Sterblichen, noch in Pātāla habe ich solche Schönheit gesehen oder auch nur davon gehört; durch diese Gestalt bin ich der Pfeilspitze Kāmas unterworfen worden.“

Word by Word

• svarge: in heaven
• svarge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• martye: in the mortal world
• martye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• pātāle: in the netherworld
• pātāle: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• dṛṣṭam: seen
• dṛṣṭam: Karta (Impersonal passive subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; dṛś-धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (seen thing/it was seen)

• na: nor
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• me: by me / of me
• me: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th case), एकवचन

• śrutam: heard
• śrutam: Karta (Impersonal passive subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śruta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; śru-धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (heard thing/it was heard)

• tādṛk-rūpam: such a form
• tādṛk-rūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tādṛk (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (तादृशं रूपम्)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yena: by which
• yena: Karana (Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक

• kāma-bāṇa-vaśī-kṛtaḥ: made submissive by Cupid’s arrows
• kāma-bāṇa-vaśī-kṛtaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + bāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + vaśī (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; कृ-धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (कामस्य बाणैः वशीकृतः) विशेषण (aham)

Speaker

Nārada (continuing his report, emphasizing the maiden’s extraordinary beauty)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (implicit locus of ensuing encounter)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mahiṣa (or the asura) speaks in awe and agitation, describing a beauty beyond the three worlds; a subtle, symbolic Cupid-arrow motif pierces his composure.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Kāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even exalted beings can be shaken by desire; the dharmic path demands vigilance and discrimination (viveka).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra provides the sacred narrative frame where such trials and teachings are unfolded.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse describes the overpowering force of kāma as a narrative driver.