Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

कंदर्पकोटिलावण्यो जातः कृष्णस्तदा नृप । ब्रह्मापि तपसा युक्तो दिव्यं वर्षशतत्रयम्

Transliteration

kaṃdarpakoṭilāvaṇyo jātaḥ kṛṣṇastadā nṛpa | brahmāpi tapasā yukto divyaṃ varṣaśatatrayam

Translation

« Ô Roi, alors Kṛṣṇa naquit avec la beauté de dix millions de Kāma ; et Brahmā aussi, voué au tapas (austérité), le pratiqua durant trois cents années divines. »

Word by Word

• kaṃdarpa-koṭi-lāvaṇyaḥ: having beauty like ten million Kāma-devas
• kaṃdarpa-koṭi-lāvaṇyaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaṃdarpa (प्रातिपदिक) + koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + lāvaṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (कंदर्पकोटिसदृशं लावण्यं यस्य) विशेषणम् (कृष्णः)

• jātaḥ: was born
• jātaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (born/come into being)

• kṛṣṇaḥ: Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (हे नृप)

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (also)

• tapasā: by austerity
• tapasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yuktaḥ: engaged/endowed
• yuktaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √yuj (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः; विशेषणम् (ब्रह्मा)

• divyam: divine
• divyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वर्षशतत्रयम्)

• varṣa-śata-trayam: three hundred years
• varṣa-śata-trayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (त्रीणि शतानि वर्षाणि)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpa/rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant Kṛṣṇa figure, youthful and extraordinarily beautiful, contrasted with Brahmā in deep austerity—seated in meditation for ‘three hundred divine years’—with cosmic time indicated by revolving stars or changing seasons.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Kāma (Kandarpa)
• Brahmā
• Tapas
• Dharmāraṇya (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity and divine grace operate together in Purāṇic sacred history, revealing extraordinary divine qualities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya’s sanctified setting underlies the narrative, though the verse emphasizes divine manifestation and tapas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is referenced as a sustained spiritual discipline (three hundred divine years).