Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

अश्वत्थवाटिकायां च तमपश्य न्मनोरमम् । दृष्ट्वा रोदिति जीवंतं मुक्त्वा बाष्पमथाचिरम्

Transliteration

aśvatthavāṭikāyāṃ ca tamapaśya nmanoramam | dṛṣṭvā roditi jīvaṃtaṃ muktvā bāṣpamathāciram

Translation

And in the grove of aśvattha trees she saw him—charming to behold. Seeing the child alive yet weeping, she too soon burst into tears.

Word by Word

• अश्वत्थवाटिकायाम्: in the aśvattha-grove
• अश्वत्थवाटिकायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वत्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + वाटिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अश्वत्थस्य वाटिका)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अपश्यत्: saw
• अपश्यत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• मनोरमम्: charming, delightful
• मनोरमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनोरम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तम्)

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

• रोदिति: cries, weeps
• रोदिति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रुद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• जीवन्तम्: living, alive
• जीवन्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जीवत् (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक from √जीव्)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तम्)

• मुक्त्वा: having released, letting go
• मुक्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• बाष्पम्: tears
• बाष्पम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• अचिरम्: for a short time, soon
• अचिरम्: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अचिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (accusative of duration)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aśvattha-vāṭikā (Prabhāsa)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a tranquil grove of aśvattha trees, Subhadrā beholds her charming child; he is alive yet crying. Her own tears rise immediately, mirroring his grief amid the sacred shade.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvattha (sacred fig)
• Prabhāsakṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even in a holy land, human emotions arise; the narrative prepares the listener to understand suffering through the lens of karma and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), with a sacred aśvattha-grove setting within its māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly in this verse; it is narrative context within the Prabhāsa-māhātmya.