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Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 72

आह बालक उत्पन्नः शोकस्य वद कारणम् । अथोक्तः स्तन्यरहितं कथं ते जीवितं धृतम्

āha bālaka utpannaḥ śokasya vada kāraṇam | athoktaḥ stanyarahitaṃ kathaṃ te jīvitaṃ dhṛtam

She said, “O child, now that you are born, tell me the cause of your sorrow.” Then she asked, “Without mother’s milk, how was your life sustained?”

आहshe said
आह:
Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootअह् (धातु)
Formलिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्
बालकO child
बालक:
Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootबालक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचनम्
उत्पन्नःborn
उत्पन्नः:
Sambodhana (Address qualifier)
TypeAdjective
Rootउत्-पद् (धातु)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (to बालक)
शोकस्यof sorrow
शोकस्य:
Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootशोक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी, एकवचनम् (genitive singular)
वदtell
वद:
Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
TypeVerb
Rootवद् (धातु)
Formलोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुषः (2nd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्
कारणम्cause, reason
कारणम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootकारण (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (accusative singular)
अथthen
अथ:
Sambandha (Discourse connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअथ (अव्यय)
Formअव्ययम्; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचकः (then/now)
उक्तः(he) being asked/said to
उक्तः:
Karta (Subject of implied ‘was asked’)
TypeVerb
Rootवच् (धातु)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; ‘having been spoken/asked’ (elliptic: ‘he was addressed/asked’)
स्तन्यरहितम्devoid of milk (nursing)
स्तन्यरहितम्:
Karma (Object qualifier)
TypeAdjective
Rootस्तन्य-रहित (प्रातिपदिक; स्तन्य + रहित)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (to जीवितम्)
कथम्how
कथम्:
Kriya-viseshana (Interrogative adverb)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकथम् (अव्यय)
Formअव्ययम्; प्रश्नार्थक-क्रियाविशेषणम् (how)
तेyour
ते:
Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootत्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी (genitive) एकवचनम् (or चतुर्थी singular in some contexts); अत्र षष्ठी—‘thy/your’
जीवितम्life
जीवितम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootजीवित (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; अत्र द्वितीया (object of धृतम्—‘held/maintained’)
धृतम्sustained, maintained
धृतम्:
Kriya (Predicate participle)
TypeVerb
Rootधृ (धातु)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; अत्र ‘धृतम्’ = ‘sustained/maintained’ (with जीवितम्)

Subhadrā

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Listener: Frame-audience

Scene: Subhadrā, holding the child, gently questions him: why the sorrow, and how he survived without mother’s milk—an intimate inquiry into suffering and providence.

S
Subhadrā
P
Prabhāsakṣetra

FAQs

Compassionate inquiry is dharmic: one seeks the root of suffering and the means by which life is sustained.

Prabhāsakṣetra, where the māhātmya uses human questions to unfold sacred meaning and divine arrangement.

None; it is interpersonal dialogue within the sacred narrative.