Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

अलंबुसापि स्वर्वेश्या भूपतेः कृतवर्मणः । अयोध्यायां महापुर्यां कन्या जाता मृगावती

Transliteration

alaṃbusāpi svarveśyā bhūpateḥ kṛtavarmaṇaḥ | ayodhyāyāṃ mahāpuryāṃ kanyā jātā mṛgāvatī

Translation

Et Alambusā, l’apsarā céleste, vint au roi Kṛtavarman ; dans la grande cité d’Ayodhyā naquit une fille : Mṛgāvatī.

Word by Word

• अलंबुसा: Alambusā
• अलंबुसा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अलंबुसा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• अपि: also
• अपि: N/A
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (also/even)

• स्वर्वेश्या: a celestial courtesan (apsaras)
• स्वर्वेश्या: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर् + वेश्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (svar-veśyā = heavenly courtesan/apsaras)

• भूपतेः: of the king
• भूपतेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृतवर्मणः: of Kṛtavarman
• कृतवर्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतवर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• अयोध्यायाम्: in Ayodhyā
• अयोध्यायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयोध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महापुर्याम्: in the great city
• महापुर्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (mahā-purī = great city)

• कन्या: a daughter/girl
• कन्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जाता: born
• जाता: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying कन्या)

• मृगावती: Mṛgāvatī
• मृगावती: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृगा + वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, within Setukhaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Auspicious birth in Ayodhyā: palace chamber with attendants; Alambusā (celestial courtesan) subtly indicated with divine radiance; newborn Mṛgāvatī cradled; city motifs (ramparts, banners) in background.

Characters & Entities

• Alambusā
• Kṛtavarman
• Ayodhyā
• Mṛgāvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic accounts weave human lineage with celestial agencies, presenting birth and destiny as part of a larger dharmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā is explicitly mentioned as the great city; while Setukhaṇḍa’s broader aim is Setu’s sanctity, this verse spotlights Ayodhyā as a revered sacred geography marker.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.