Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

कुतो वा लभ्यत इति सादरं समचिंतयत् । अशोकदत्तस्तु तदा विज्ञाय नृपकांक्षितम्

Transliteration

kuto vā labhyata iti sādaraṃ samaciṃtayat | aśokadattastu tadā vijñāya nṛpakāṃkṣitam

Translation

Avec soin il se demanda : «D’où pourrait-on l’obtenir ?» Alors Aśokadatta, comprenant le désir du roi, se prépara à répondre.

Word by Word

• कुतः: from where/how
• कुतः: Sambandha (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय/प्रश्न)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक अव्यय (interrogative adverb: whence/how)

• वा: or/indeed
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive/particle)

• लभ्यते: is obtained
• लभ्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• सादरम्: respectfully/eagerly
• सादरम्: Kriya-viseshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स + आदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्यय (adverb)

• समचिन्तयत्: he thought/pondered
• समचिन्तयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-चिन्त् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अशोकदत्तः: Ashokadatta
• अशोकदत्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशोकदत्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; नाम

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• विज्ञाय: having understood
• विज्ञाय: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), ‘having understood’

• नृपकाङ्क्षितम्: what the king desired
• नृपकाङ्क्षितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नृप + काङ्क्षित (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from काङ्क्ष् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समास: नृपस्य काङ्क्षितम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (desired)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Aśokadatta, noticing the king’s longing for a matching anklet, steps forward with composed confidence, ready to speak; the anklet gleams between them.

Characters & Entities

• the king (nṛpa)
• Aśokadatta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Attentiveness to a ruler’s intent enables right counsel; dharma is supported by wise communication.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage sits within Setukhaṇḍa (Setu Māhātmya), though this verse is primarily narrative and courtly in tone.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it signals a transition toward explanation or guidance regarding the divine anklet.