Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

राजोवाच । अथासौ वामनो विप्रः प्रविष्टो गहने वने । एकाकी किं चकाराथ कौतुकं तद्वदस्व मे

Transliteration

rājovāca | athāsau vāmano vipraḥ praviṣṭo gahane vane | ekākī kiṃ cakārātha kautukaṃ tadvadasva me

Translation

Der König sprach: „Dann trat jener zwerggestaltige Brahmane Vāmana in einen tiefen Wald ein. Allein—was tat er dort? Berichte mir von jener wunderbaren Begebenheit.“

Word by Word

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (conjunctive particle: then/now)

• असौ: that (person)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक: अदस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; दूरवाचक-सर्वनाम

• वामनः: Vāmana
• वामनः: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वामन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• विप्रः: a brāhmaṇa
• विप्रः: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• प्रविष्टः: having entered
• प्रविष्टः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रविष्ट (कृदन्त; √विश् (धातु) + प्र + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• गहने: in the dense (part)
• गहने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (locative)

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• एकाकी: alone
• एकाकी: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकाकिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• चकार: did
• चकार: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then)

• कौतुकम्: wonder/curiosity
• कौतुकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौतुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वदस्व: tell
• वदस्व: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचनरूपम् (genitive/dative singular enclitic); ‘मम/मह्यम्’

Speaker

Rājā (the King)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sārasvata (to respond)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king respectfully questions the sage about a dwarf brāhmaṇa who has entered a dense, shadowed forest alone; the mood is expectant and wondrous.

Characters & Entities

• Vāmana (as epithet)
• Vipra (brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It marks a dharma-narrative pivot: sincere inquiry (śraddhā-filled questioning) opens the next teaching about sacred deeds and their fruits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ongoing context remains Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, though this verse itself is a narrative question.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces the next episode by the king’s inquiry.