Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

तं तथा दुःखितं दृष्ट्वा सक्लेशं गुरुकार्यतः । वज्रमारोपयामास दण्डांते पाकशासनः

Transliteration

taṃ tathā duḥkhitaṃ dṛṣṭvā sakleśaṃ gurukāryataḥ | vajramāropayāmāsa daṇḍāṃte pākaśāsanaḥ

Translation

Le voyant ainsi affligé et peinant pour l’œuvre de son maître, Pākaśāsana (Indra) posa le Vajra à l’extrémité de son bâton.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• दुःखितम्: distressed
• दुःखितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkhita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; दुःख्/दुःख (धातु/प्रातिपदिक) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम्

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्तम् (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• सक्लेशम्: afflicted, with trouble
• सक्लेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa-kleśa (प्रातिपदिक: sa उपसर्ग/सह + kleśa)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (समासान्त)

• गुरुकार्यतः: because of the teacher’s task
• गुरुकार्यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: guru-kārya (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिलन्त-अव्ययम्; हेत्वर्थे/निमित्ते (ablatival adverb)

• वज्रम्: thunderbolt
• वज्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vajra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• आरोपयामास: placed, mounted
• आरोपयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-ruh/rop (धातु: √ruh/√rop; causative)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपदम्), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative)

• दण्डान्ते: at the end of the staff
• दण्डान्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṇḍa-anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (अधिकरण), एकवचनम्

• पाकशासनः: Pākaśāsana (Indra)
• पाकशासनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāka-śāsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषनाम (इन्द्रः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; later marked as Vasiṣṭha in this adhyāya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (anugraha-sthala motif)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, radiant and kingly, appears unseen or partially seen, placing a blazing vajra upon the tip of Uttaṅka’s wooden staff; the staff’s end shines like lightning in the cave’s gloom.

Characters & Entities

• Uttaṅka
• Indra (Pākaśāsana)
• vajra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When service to the guru is sincere, divine support arises to remove obstacles and empower righteous effort.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is explicitly praised in this verse; it highlights divine intervention within the Arbuda-khaṇḍa narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse describes Indra’s bestowal of power (vajra) for completing the task.