Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

एकांते निर्जने राजा बभाषे चारुलोचनाम् । का त्वं कस्य सुता केन कारणेन मृगैः सह

Transliteration

ekāṃte nirjane rājā babhāṣe cārulocanām | kā tvaṃ kasya sutā kena kāraṇena mṛgaiḥ saha

Translation

An einem abgeschiedenen, menschenleeren Ort sprach der König zu der Schönäugigen: „Wer bist du? Wessen Tochter bist du? Und aus welchem Grund bist du hier unter den Hirschen?“

Word by Word

• ekānte: in a secluded place
• ekānte: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ekānta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• nirjane: lonely, deserted
• nirjane: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् ekānte

• rājā: the king
• rājā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• babhāṣe: spoke
• babhāṣe: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhāṣ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• cāru-locanām: (to) the beautiful-eyed (woman)
• cāru-locanām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cāru (प्रातिपदिक) + locana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (चारूणि लोचनानि यस्याः सा)

• kā: who (fem.)
• kā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kasya: of whom
• kasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• sutā: daughter
• sutā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sutā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kena: by what / by whom
• kena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• kāraṇena: for what reason
• kāraṇena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mṛgaiḥ: with deer
• mṛgaiḥ: Sahakāraka (सह/साकं)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakāraka (सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश-अव्यय/सह-शब्दः (postposition), ‘with’

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic reciter); within-verse speaker: the King

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king in simple hunting/forest attire stands in a lonely grove, addressing a fair-eyed woman-bodied being with a doe’s face, deer gathered calmly around her; the space feels hushed and sacred.

Characters & Entities

• rājā (king)
• cārulocanā (fair-eyed maiden)
• mṛga (deer)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In sacred narratives, inquiry (praśna) begins the revelation of karma, curse, or divine purpose linked to the kṣetra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra—Vastrāpathakṣetra context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative dialogue initiating disclosure of a hidden cause (kāraṇa).